What is the Biblical support for learning to hear the voice of God as a trainable skill, as part of an interactive relationship?

Question

T.M. Luhrmann cites many instances of this practice in her book When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God. Below I share some quotes to illustrate this point:

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS a person must master at a church like the Vineyard is to recognize when God is present and when he responds. This can seem odd to someone raised in a mainstream church, where God is usually not imagined as a person with whom you have back-and-forth conversation throughout the day. At the Vineyard, people speak about recognizing God’s “voice.” They talk about things God has “said” to them about very specific topics—where they should go to school and whether they should volunteer in a day care—and newcomers are often confused by what they mean. Newcomers soon learn that God is understood to speak to congregants inside their own minds. They learn that someone who worships God at the Vineyard must develop the ability to recognize thoughts in their own mind that are not in fact their thoughts, but God’s. They learn that this is a skill they should master. At the beginning, they usually find both the skill and the very idea of the skill perplexing.

It is indeed a striking God, this modern God imagined by so many American evangelicals. Each generation meets God in its own manner. Over the last few decades, this generation of Americans has sought out an intensely personal God, a God who not only cares about your welfare but worries with you about whether to paint the kitchen table. These Americans call themselves evangelical to assert that they are part of the conservative Christian tradition that understands the Bible to be literally or near literally true and that describes the relationship with Jesus as personal, and as being born again. But the feature that most deeply characterizes them is that the God they seek is more personally intimate, and more intimately experienced, than the God most Americans grew up with. These evangelicals have sought out and cultivated concrete experiences of God’s realness. They have strained to hear the voice of God speaking outside their heads. They have yearned to feel God clasp their hands and to sense the weight of his hands push against their shoulders. They have wanted the hot presence of the Holy Spirit to brush their cheeks and knock them sideways.

In effect, people train the mind in such a way that they experience part of their mind as the presence of God. They learn to reinterpret the familiar experiences of their own minds and bodies as not being their own at all—but God’s. They learn to identify some thoughts as God’s voice, some images as God’s suggestions, some sensations as God’s touch or the response to his nearness. They construct God’s interactions out of these personal mental events, mapping the abstract concept “God” out of their mental awareness into a being they imagine and reimagine in ways shaped by the Bible and encouraged by their church community. They learn to shift the way they scan their worlds, always searching for a mark of God’s presence, chastening the unruly mind if it stubbornly insists that there is nothing there. Then they turn around and allow this sense of God—an external being they find internally in their minds—to discipline their thoughts and emotions. They allow the God they learn to experience in their minds to persuade them that an external God looks after them and loves them unconditionally.

I call this point of view the anthropological attitude. Anthropologists are taught as students to seek to understand before we judge. We want to understand how people interpret their world before passing judgment on whether their interpretation is right or wrong. And so I will not presume to know ultimate reality. I will not judge whether God is or is not present to the people I came to know. Yet I believe that if God speaks, God’s voice is heard through human minds constrained by their biology and shaped by their social community, and I believe that as a psychologically trained anthropologist, I can say something about those constraints and their social shaping. The person who hears a voice when alone has a sensory perception without a material cause, whether its immaterial origin is the divine presence or the empty night. Only some religious communities encourage people to pay attention to their subjective states with the suggestion that God may speak back to them in prayer. I will ask how a church teaches people to attend to their inner awareness and what training in prayer and practice they provide—and I can answer that question. Only some people have those startling, unusual experiences (although more people, it happens, than most of us imagine). I will ask whether some people are more likely to have those experiences than others, and whether there are differences in temperament or training that might set those who are able to have such experiences apart from those who don’t—and again, I can answer that question.

What is the Biblical basis for this practice?

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Similar questions I found on the site

Do/which Christians believe they hear from God? - This question focuses on denominations that believe in hearing from God. Very insightful, but not exactly what I'm asking here.

How does one discern between thoughts inspired by the Holy Spirit and those produced from themselves - This question sounds like a question that someone who is joining the Vineyard for the first time would probably ask. Related but not exactly what I'm asking here. The question was also closed as opinion-based.

Why has God never spoken to me? - This question captures the frustration of someone who would like to hear from God, but hasn't had the privilege yet. Interesting and related, but not exactly what I'm asking here.

Do Cessationists believe that the Holy Spirit still speaks specific messages or instructions to Christians today? - This question does provide examples of Biblical passages documenting cases in which the Holy Spirit spoke to certain individuals for specific purposes. However, I'm not entirely sure if those passages would constitute the entire Biblical basis that someone from the Vineyard or similar denominations would utilize to support their practices. In addition, that question is concerned with the cessationist perspective, so the focus is different.

Answer 1

The following attempts to answer my own question using foundational principles and examples from the Bible. While this does not necessarily endorse the specific details of the practices and methodology of the Vineyard, scripturally, the concept of an interactive God who communicates with people makes a ton of sense in light of many biblical teachings.

Passage (ESV)	Content	Comment
1 Samuel 3:1-10	Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. 2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”	1 Samuel 3:1-10 illustrates that recognizing God's voice can be a learned skill through mentoring and attentiveness. Young Samuel initially mistakes God's call for Eli's, showing that discernment may require guidance. Eli instructs Samuel to respond, "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears," which helps Samuel acknowledge and engage with God's communication. This interaction highlights the process of developing the ability to discern God's voice and establishing an interactive relationship through practice and openness.
1 Kings 19:11-13	11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”	1 Kings 19:11-13 shows that God's voice is not always in dramatic displays but can be heard in a gentle whisper. Elijah learns to listen attentively amidst powerful natural events and hears God's voice in a quiet moment, emphasizing the importance of sensitivity to subtle impressions in cultivating an interactive relationship with God.
John 10:27	My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.	John 10:27 emphasizes that Jesus' followers, symbolized as sheep, have the ability to hear His voice. This passage underscores the intimate relationship between believers and Jesus, where hearing His voice is integral to recognizing His guidance and following Him faithfully. It supports the concept that hearing from God is not only possible but expected as part of a responsive and interactive relationship with Him.
John 14:26	But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.	John 14:26 assures believers of the Holy Spirit's role as a teacher and helper. This passage emphasizes that the Spirit, sent by the Father in Jesus' name, will guide them in understanding and remembering Jesus' teachings, illustrating the interactive relationship believers have with God through the Spirit's guidance and instruction.
John 16:13	When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.	John 16:13 assures believers that the Holy Spirit, described as the Spirit of truth, will guide them comprehensively into all truth. This promise highlights the Spirit's role in communication, emphasizing that His guidance is not independent but based on what He hears from God. This passage supports the belief that hearing from God is facilitated by the Holy Spirit, who communicates God’s will and insights, thereby fostering an interactive relationship where believers are led into deeper understanding and alignment with God's purposes.
Acts 8:29	And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”	Acts 8:29 demonstrates the Holy Spirit's direct communication to Philip, instructing him to approach and join the Ethiopian eunuch's chariot. This instance highlights the Spirit's role in guiding believers to specific encounters and opportunities for ministry, illustrating the interactive relationship between God and His servants in fulfilling His purposes.
Acts 10:19-20	19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”	Acts 10:19-20 portrays the Holy Spirit's clear instruction to Peter, guiding him to receive Gentiles into the Christian community. This passage underscores the Spirit's role in directing Peter's actions, emphasizing divine guidance and the interactive nature of Peter's relationship with God in expanding the gospel beyond Jewish boundaries.
Acts 11:12	And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.	Acts 11:12 shows Peter recounting how the Holy Spirit directed him to go with Gentiles, breaking down cultural barriers and affirming God's inclusive plan for all people to receive the gospel. This emphasizes the Spirit's role in guiding believers to engage in transformative actions that advance God's kingdom purposefully.
Acts 13:2	While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”	Acts 13:2 demonstrates the Holy Spirit's direct communication to the church leaders during a time of worship and fasting. This passage highlights the Spirit's role in commissioning Barnabas and Saul for specific missionary work, illustrating how God communicates His divine assignments and purposes to His followers through the Holy Spirit. It underscores the interactive relationship believers have with God, where they are guided and commissioned for significant tasks in His service.
Acts 16:6-10	6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.	Acts 16:6-10 illustrates the Holy Spirit's guidance in Paul's missionary journey. Despite initial plans, the Spirit redirects Paul away from Asia and Bithynia, ultimately leading him to Macedonia through a vision. This passage emphasizes the importance of discerning and obeying the Spirit's leading in ministry, showcasing the interactive relationship between believers and God's guidance in fulfilling His purposes.
Acts 21:9-11	9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”	Acts 21:9-11 portrays the prophetic gift in action among believers. Agabus, moved by the Holy Spirit, prophesies about Paul's impending arrest in Jerusalem, illustrating how God communicates specific warnings and guidance through prophetic revelation. This passage underscores the role of prophecy in the early church and the interactive nature of divine communication, guiding believers through foreknowledge and preparation for future events.
Genesis 3:8-9	8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”	Genesis 3:8-9 reveals God's relational initiative with humanity after Adam and Eve's disobedience. Despite their hiding, God seeks them out, calling them into dialogue. This passage highlights God's ongoing desire for a personal, interactive relationship with humanity, where He initiates communication even in the midst of human error and separation.
Psalm 32:8	I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.	Psalm 32:8 assures believers of God's personal guidance and counsel. It emphasizes His commitment to instruct and lead them in the right path, demonstrating an interactive relationship where God provides ongoing direction and care.
Romans 8:14-16	14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,	Romans 8:14-16 emphasizes the intimate relationship between believers and God through the Holy Spirit. Believers, led by the Spirit, experience the assurance of being God's children and cry out to Him as their loving Father. This passage underscores the interactive nature of the Christian faith, where the Spirit confirms our identity and guides us in living as children of God, free from fear and bondage.

Answer 2

There is a reason that we call it "spiritual growth". Jesus made frequent analogy to agriculture to discuss the spiritual life. He spoke of planting seeds and waiting for them to grow. He spoke of faith being like a mustard seed that grows into a large garden plant.

Jesus also spoke of the consequences of use and disuse. In the parable of the talents, two servants produced a return for their master and one did not. Faith, initiative and action produce results.

In Luke 6, Jesus says, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

The Apostle Paul, when speaking about spiritual gifts in Romans 12, tells people to use them in proportion to their faith. Since faith can grow or shrink, so can ones facility in exercising those gifts. Among them are words of wisdom and knowledge, prophecy, and more.

One could go on endlessly like this, touching on "Christ in us, the hope of glory". That would give an impressionistic view of our relationship to God using words that require much interpretation to assemble into a coherent argument. We can do better.

It is undeniable that in our materialistic life "under the sun", we grow from infants to adults. We mature in our ability to do all kinds of things. Listening attentively and with comprehension is one of them. Gathering our thoughts and speaking coherently to other people is another. What we need is a solid, Biblical, spiritual analogy that connects every phase and feature of our physical life to one at a higher level in the spiritual realm. If we have that, then it follows that since the ways of this world are trainable and interactive, so too must our dealings with God.

We do have that! Solomon in Ecclesiastes describes a human life in three main stages:

1. the growing years (Chapters 1-9)
2. the productive years (Chapters 10-11)
3. the declining years (Chapters 11-12)

Ecclesiastes 3 breaks the first stage into twenty-eight times which may be grouped into seven quartets with these goals and rough spans of years (because not all people mature at the same rate):

1. Security (Birth to Age 7) Infants need Food, shelter and parental love
2. Ability (Ages 7-14) Children must be taught to use hand and mind
3. Stability (Ages 14-21) Learning verbal and physical self-control as a teen during the times to weep, laugh, mourn and dance
4. Amity (Ages 21-28) Dating and marriage, such as with the times to embrace or refrain from embracing
5. Opportunity (Ages 28-35) Choose career, place to live, how to manage material goods and money
6. Community (Ages 35-42) Conflict, forgiveness, open two-way communication during the times to tear and mend, be silent and speak
7. Loyalty (Ages 42-49) Develop Loyal Attitudes (love and hate) and actions (war and peace) towards friends and enemies

Solomon introduces this framework for human growth in Ecclesiastes and then develops it further in Proverbs, with Proverbs 1-3 as an introduction and the remaining twenty-eight chapters corresponding one-to-one with each of the twenty-eight times. That is how we grow as people relating to other people "under the sun". Being silent, speaking, wrestling with emotions and all the other facets of relationships are represented.

Each of the twenty-eight times has a spiritual analogy.

• A time to be born is being "born again"
• A time to die is dying to self and receiving a new identity in Christ
• A time to plant is being baptized into the church
• A time to uproot is severing some ties with non-believers and other worldly attachments

A systematic mapping of these worldly concepts to the Christian life is performed by Paul in his first seven letters, Romans to Colossians. Each letter tackles one of the seven phases from above:

• Romans reinterprets material security as Eternal Security, for who can separate us from the love of Christ?
• 1 Corinthians reinterprets training in natural abilities as training in spiritual gifts
• 2 Corinthians reinterprets emotional stability as spiritual stability, speaking of "the God of all comfort"
• Galatians reinterprets Amity with embracing the true gospel of grace and refraining from embracing the false gospel of works
• Ephesians reinterprets the preoccupation with material prosperity and earthly treasures as the pursuit of "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places"
• Philippians reinterprets communication actions and community identity based on family, clan or country as selfless devotion to the church
• Colossians reinterprets the attainment of full maturity within and acceptance by human society of your expressions of group loyalty with the attainment of full spiritual maturity as expressed here:

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. - Colossians 2:1-3

Paul's systematic reconstruction of what it means to grow to maturity in the context of the Christian church therefore carries over all the implications of growing through individual effort and the discipleship and encouragement of others.

For a more complete comparison of these seven letters to the seven phases of growth in Ecclesiastes, see my article here:

The Apostle Paul's Discipleship Program

Answer 3

Fasting and prayerful meditation are two disciplines recommended by various churches to increase spiritual sensitivity. Regarding, biblical support for this practice, some readers (not all) interpret Jesus' 40-day fast in the wilderness to represent a kind of training. Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry... Then, (after the three temptations) the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

The Israelites, prior to receiving the words of God from Sinai, trained themselves to hear this revelation by sanctifying themselves and refraining from sexual relations for three days:

Exodus 19

Go to the people and have them sanctify themselves today and tomorrow. Have them wash their garments 11 and be ready for the third day; for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people... 14 Then Moses came down from the mountain to the people and had them sanctify themselves, and they washed their garments. 15 He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not approach a woman.” 16 On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud blast of the shofar, so that all the people in the camp trembled.

Then, in Exodus 24-25, Moses fasted for 40 days on the mountain to receive the stone tablets and directions for the construction of the Tabernacle:

Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and went up on the mountain. He was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. The Lord spoke to Moses. (24-18-25:1)

Such periods of self-denial are often found in the Bible prior to receiving God's word. Long periods of fasting, of course, are rare as they involve major providential events and revelations. However, all people may attempt lesser conditions of spiritual training, whether to sensitize themselves to hear God's word or as a kind of sacrificial offering. In the end, however, hearing God's voice is a special grace. In the meantime, we can rely on Jesus' advice:

Luke 11:9-10

9 “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.