Many people believe that hearing God is about receiving right direction or right information from God for good decisions in life. Hearing God is much more intimate and real. If hearing God is merely about knowing what to do in life, then knowing what to do can become our god.
In this book Ted J. Hanson presents over forty-two years of experience in hearing God as well as Biblical insights into the foundation for hearing God’s voice. This book has been written to help the individual recognize the voice of God. Practical and spiritual keys are given to help each individual more readily recognize God speaking in their life. God is speaking to all people, but not all people recognize His voice. If we can learn what God does not sound like we can ignore the sounds that are not His voice. We will then be left with an understanding of God’s voice to our hearts. Hearing God is about knowing God. The author presents the hindrances to hearing God as well as keys to tuning into the frequency of God’s voice in our lives.
The material presented in the book has changed the lives of many people through a proven track record of teaching for the past fifteen years.
My daughter-in-law, Amani Hanson, designs my book covers. In designing this book cover she had to pass the test of hearing God. That test was not a forced one, just a spontaneous, naturally supernatural test of hearing the One who loves us. I had given her a concept of hearing God in our hearts. I gave her some ideas but put it in her hands to discover what it was that would best depict the book.
She writes: Okay so I came up with a concept…it is different than the ideas you mentioned but the here's the story… I asked Kaden (her 2 ½ year old son) what he thought should be on the cover of your new book and he said "a bird". I was a little surprised and asked him, "what bird?" Just then our eagle called … and he said "An Eagle!" I was thinking about that and brainstorming how to have an eagle without it looking old school. I pictured an eagle soaring over a misty mountain range or a misty lake. I asked my sister-in-law Kim if she had any misty lake pictures and she said she would take some for me that morning. She went down to the water and was taking pictures and an eagle soared in! She got some awesome shots! She said she has been trying to get a picture of an eagle for ages! I thought it was pretty cool how that worked out so I figured I would go with it and see what you think.
The eagle depicts the ability to be led by the Spirit. It rides on the heights but it does its best work when coming down for the victory over its prey. Hearing God is best in the foggy moments of life. Natural sight is the opposite of faith and faith comes when we hear the One who loves us. Hearing God is about trusting the voice of God inside of us. When we trust that inner voice we accomplish great things in the purpose of life.
Amani didn’t know, but the number one thing in my office that depicts to me the hearing of God’s voice is the eagle. She also didn’t know, but water is another symbol of life, purpose, and destiny and is an important part of the journey of my life. Hearing God involves the ability to know God in the mountains and the valleys of life. It includes our ability to ride on the heights of the Spirit, but hearing Him is made real in the place of purpose in our lives – where we trust the voice of God in our hearts and accomplish the things seen in heaven in the everyday realities of our lives.