Some Thoughts On Hearing From God – Following Jesus From the Edges.

Following Jesus From the Edges
SOME THOUGHTS ON HEARING FROM GOD
Pastor Calvin Cook
April 29, 2026

“Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” John 8:47

Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I stepped into my room where I have a big whiteboard on the wall. It has some very random centering thoughts about prayer, life, scripture verses, goals, plans, and to me has become one big post it note.

Last night I noticed in one corner I had wrote John 8:47 so I paused, tough verse I thought to myself but essential in my relationship with God.

These words from Jesus in John 8:47 are not easy words and the words in the following verses don’t get any easier. Though they are direct to the religious who were questioning Jesus as the Son of God, they brought questions, scorn and even a possible stoning which Jesus escaped. They are direct. They cut to the heart. They remove obstacles. And if we are honest, they invite us into some deep self-reflection.

Jesus is speaking to a crowd that believed they knew God. They had a knowledge of their own tradition, and what had been taught them. But somehow they were missing that God the Son was standing right in front of them.

As I shared Sunday in my sermon we to often miss God’s presence in our daily lives and try to cram all of God into Sunday or other moments through out the week.

As I thought on these words I thought about how God becomes real and personal and how we can hear from God. Because it is very possible to be around the things of God and still not be listening to the voice of God. (check out the spiritual gift of discernment.)

Here is what I want to share this morning. In the early days of Methodism – John and Charles Wesley started at Oxford in London England what became known as the Holy Club. This group of college men would gather daily for long periods to pray, search scripture, here preaching, and be in Holy fellowship.

Wesley prepared 22 questions maybe there is some reflection to more or less but the list I have contains 22. Questions 7 and 8 pertain to hearing God from God through scripture. “Did the Bible live in me today?” and “Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day? Well do you? How is God’s word speaking to you – today.

Is the convicting grace from John 8:47 keeping you centered in your life. Are you not hearing from God because you do not belong to God or is it simply you are not taking the time to listen. It is possible to be around the things of God… and still not be listening to the voice of God.

I really believe the Holy Spirit is convicting us to consider how much noise fills our world. Opinions, fears, past hurts, disappointments, and even our own assumptions can become louder than God’s truth.

And over time, if we are not careful, we stop hearing Him clearly.
There is a powerful connection in this verse: belonging leads to hearing. Not perfect behavior. Not religious performance. Belonging. And belonging to God.

When we truly belong to God—when our hearts are surrendered, when our lives are aligned, when we are seeking Him honestly—we begin to recognize His voice. Not always in thunder, but often in a whisper. Not always in clarity of circumstance, but in conviction of spirit.

But here’s the hard truth: sometimes the reason we struggle to hear God isn’t because He’s not speaking……it’s because something else has our attention.

Maybe it’s pain we haven’t accepted healing for.
Maybe it’s trust that’s been broken.
Maybe it’s fear of what God might actually say.

I’ve seen it—and I’ve felt it. When hurt creeps in, it can distort what we hear. We begin to question God’s goodness. We hesitate to trust His leading. And slowly, His voice gets drowned out by the many voices that are screaming at us, including our own. .
Today through God’s word the Bible we are being invited back to what is important. Back to belonging.

But here is the grace in this verse—Jesus is not just diagnosing the problem…He’s inviting us back.

Back to belonging. Back to relationship. Back to fellowship with God .

Back to a place where His voice becomes familiar again.
So today, maybe the question isn’t “Is God speaking?”
Maybe the question is “Am I Listening?”

Prayer
Lord, help me to hear Your voice again. Quiet the noise around me and within me. Heal the places that have made it hard to trust You. Draw me back into belonging—not just knowing about You, but truly walking with You. Teach me to recognize Your voice, to follow Your leading, and to rest in Your truth. Speak, Lord…Your servant is listening. Amen.