Unlocking God's Voice In The Chaos Series

Life in today’s world is louder than ever before. The constant stream of news, social media, responsibilities, and personal struggles can feel overwhelming. Amid the noise, it can seem impossible to hear God’s voice. Many people ask, "Where is God in all this? Why can’t I hear Him?" It feels like God is distant, silent, or drowned out by the chaos surrounding us.

Yet, Psalm 46:10 offers us a simple yet profound truth: "Be still, and know that I am God." This verse reminds us that the key to hearing God’s voice is stillness. God’s voice doesn’t always come through a shout, but often through a whisper, a quiet prompting that we must be attuned to hear. His voice is always speaking, but to hear it, we must learn to still our hearts and minds in the middle of the chaos.

Today’s sermon is about unlocking God’s voice amidst the noise. We’ll explore how to quiet the distractions, how to position ourselves spiritually to hear Him, and how to recognize His voice when He speaks. God is speaking—right now, even in the midst of your busy life. Are you ready to hear Him?

1. God Speaks Through the Chaos, Not Around It

We often expect God to speak in moments of calm or when our lives feel perfectly ordered. But, more often than not, God speaks through the chaos, not around it. Think about the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-13. Elijah was exhausted, afraid, and desperate for God to show up in a powerful way. There was a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but God wasn’t in any of those. Instead, God’s voice came to Elijah in a “still small voice.”

This story shows us that God’s voice isn’t always in the dramatic. Elijah had to move past the noise and look for the subtle, the quiet, the unexpected. The same is true for us today. In the chaos of life—whether it’s the demands of work, family pressures, or personal crises—God is speaking. But He often speaks in ways that require us to pause, to reflect, and to tune our ears to His gentle whisper.

One of the biggest challenges in hearing God’s voice is that we are often looking for Him to speak in grand, obvious ways. We want Him to show up in a miracle, a vision, or a booming voice. But if we only look for God in the dramatic, we’ll miss the ways He is speaking every day. Sometimes, His voice comes through a verse of Scripture that seems to jump off the page, a word of encouragement from a friend, or even a deep sense of peace in our hearts.

In the chaos of life, we need to be like Elijah—willing to move past the noise and tune in to the still, small voice of God. The chaos may not disappear, but in the midst of it, God’s voice can bring clarity, comfort, and direction. The question is: Are we listening?

2. Tuning Out the Distractions to Tune In to God

If we’re going to hear God’s voice, we need to learn how to tune out the distractions that surround us. We live in a world that constantly demands our attention. Our phones, social media, work, and personal commitments can easily drown out God’s voice if we let them. In Luke 5:16, we see how Jesus Himself dealt with the distractions and demands of life. The verse says, "And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed."

Jesus understood the importance of stepping away from the noise to connect with the Father. He intentionally created space for solitude and prayer. If Jesus, the Son of God, needed time away from distractions to hear the Father’s voice, how much more do we?

In our fast-paced culture, stillness is countercultural. It’s tempting to always be "on," to constantly be doing something or consuming information. But if we want to hear God’s voice, we have to make space for stillness. Psalm 46:10 doesn’t just tell us to "know" that God is God; it tells us to "be still" first. The stillness is the key to knowing.

One practical way to do this is by setting aside daily quiet time. Whether it’s in the morning before the day begins, during a lunch break, or before bed, we need to intentionally create time to sit in God’s presence without distractions. Turn off the phone, close the laptop, and just be still before God. Allow Him to speak into the silence.

But distractions aren’t always external. Often, the greatest distractions are internal—our worries, anxieties, fears, and doubts. Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us to "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." When we bring our worries to God in prayer, He gives us peace, and in that peace, we can hear His voice more clearly.