Learning to Recognize God’s Voice
Your Nightly Scripture
Evening Scripture
Psalm 95
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice,“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’
So I declared on oath in my anger,‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
Evening Reflection
Listen, are we hearing His voice? If not, maybe we’re in our own wilderness time, and it seems like God is distant, like He isn’t interested in what’s going on in our lives? It can seem that way to us at times, when we don’t seem to be hearing His voice. During those times, it is when we need a heart check-up, so we don’t soon find ourselves in a desperate situation, a critical 911 kind of place, with no time to spare. When it seems we can’t hear God, it’s vital to check our hearts, because hardness of heart has a way of creeping in unknowingly. It’s so difficult to detect within ourselves, too, especially if we’re not looking for it, as it takes over more space in our hearts, developing a hard shell that eventually mutes the voice of God in our lives, just when we need Him the most.
Tonight and this coming week, we can take steps to reach out and listen for God’s voice by reading His word, spending time in prayer, and opening up our hearts to hear Him. We can ask Him to shine His bright light into our hearts to cleanse, soften, and expose hidden things that have welcomed hardness in us. Because God searches the earth, from one end to the other, looking for hearts turned towards Him, it’s not too late for hardened hearts. We can purposefully turn our hearts towards Him in repentance, away from the hardness, asking Him to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Evening Prayer
God,
I want to hear your voice in my life. Open my spiritual ears to hear You speaking to me. Shine Your light into my heart, cleansing and softening it to listen for Your voice. Free me from the dullness of hearing to tune my heart and mind to hear Your voice. Strengthen me to humble myself and to be willing to release the hardness of my heart. Teach me to know Your ways. Fill my heart, mind, and lips with joy to praise, worship, and to kneel down before You.
Amen.
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Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Tony Rowell
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
Related Resource: Discouragement Often Comes after Calling | Ezra 3
In this episode of The Bible Explained, Jen walks through Ezra chapter 3 and explores the Israelites’ return from exile as they begin rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. She highlights how the people, though fearful and greatly outnumbered, chose unity, obedience, and worship by first rebuilding the altar and restoring sacrifices to God. The episode focuses on the emotional moment when the temple foundation is laid—some rejoice with gratitude while others weep, remembering the former temple’s glory. Through passages in Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah, Jen emphasizes God’s encouragement not to “despise small beginnings,” reminding listeners that God often works through humble starts, difficult seasons, and imperfect circumstances. The episode closes with a practical encouragement: when God calls people to a purpose, opposition and discouragement will come, but faithful perseverance and trust in God’s presence are what carry the work forward. If this podcast helped you understand the Bible in a clearer way, be sure to follow The Bible Explained on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Monday, 20 July 2026.
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