How to Hear God Better by Showing Up Differently

Many of us have trouble hearing God because we’re showing up wrong. We’ve got the wrong paradigm, and it’s interfering with (1) how well we hear God, and (2) our intimacy with him in general.

Because we’re showing up to the wrong meeting.

Too often, we show up trying to hear God like it’s a job interview, when it’s really a staff meeting.

There’s nothing wrong with the way we show up for job interviews. There’s a knack to interviewing well. After all, you’re totally being judged. You’re being evaluated. Your potential employer is making a yes-or-no hiring decision about you based on this first-impression. You want to put your best foot forward. You want the job.

The problem is, we show up in trying to hear God like it’s a job interview. But it’s not a job interview. It’s a staff meeting.

Think about it. How do you show up differently for a job interview than for a staff meeting?

[Note: I’m taking for granted we’re talking about a staff meeting at a healthy company, not a toxic work environment. We all have horror stories – that’s not what we’re talking about here. Think ideal staff meeting at a healthy company.]

Here are 6 tangible ways we hear God better by showing up like a staff meeting instead of a job interview.

(1) Nervous vs Comfortable and Safe

At a job interview, we’re nervous. And rightfully so – we’re being judged and evaluated. People who interview well channel that nervousness into focused enthusiasm. You’re carefully curating everything you say. That’s not easy, and it’s emotionally exhausting. You can’t keep it up for long.

But at a staff meeting, we feel safe. We’re not being judged. We’re in that place of already being accepted. We don’t have to fight for it or prove we belong.

Do we feel nervous coming into God’s presence, or do we feel comfortable and safe?

(2) Foreign Environment vs At Home & Familiar

In a job interview, we are on their turf, usually a place we’ve never been before. It’s a foreign environment. We’re trying to simultaneously take it all in and not be distracted by it.

But in a staff meeting, we’ve been here before. We’re familiar with this place. It’s a second home.

Does God’s presence feel foreign or familiar?

(3) Escorted & Watched vs Trusted Access

As a job interviewee, we sit in the lobby, sweating bullets. Eventually, the receptionist escorts us to the office or conference room where the interview will take place. Afterward, the interviewer escorts us back out to the lobby and makes sure we leave. We’re never left to wander the halls alone.

But in a staff meeting, we work there. We have trusted access. We can come and go as we please.

Do we show up with God like we’re being watched, or like we have trusted access into his presence?

(4) Goal to Impress vs Goal to Connect

In a job interview, our goal is to impress the interviewer and get the job. Period. Hands down. Everyone knows, the interviewer and the interviewee, that the goal is to impress.

But in a staff meeting, our goal is to connect with our employer and our fellow employees.

Do we show up trying to hear God by trying to impress him, or by trying to connect with his heart?

(5) Hiding Problems vs Solving Problems

Along those lines, we hide and minimize problems in a job interview. If there are problems or issues on our resume or in our job experience, we don’t call attention to them. That’s not going to help us get the job.

But at a staff meeting, it’s not about getting the job. It’s about doing the work. So we raise problems, we highlight them, because they’re interfering with the work. We bring up problems so we, as a group, can solve them.

In our time with God, do we hide or minimize our sin, or do we bring it up? Do we talk it out with him in order to solve it?

(6) Displaying Credentials vs Getting Help

In a job interview, we are displaying our credentials. We’ve written them down in a resume. And we plan to highlight the areas where we really shine and how qualified we are for the position.

But in a staff meeting, we raise our short-comings. We get help.

In engineering companies like mine, we call them “blockers” – things are interfering with getting our job done. It’s management’s job to remove the blockers so we can do our job. But they can only do that if we tell them the blocker is there.

It’s perfectly ok to go to God and say, “If I’m going to do what I hear you calling me to do, I need ____.” Fill in the blank. Maybe it’s provision. Maybe it’s restoration of a relationship. Maybe it’s healing (physical or emotional or both).

Do we spend our time with God displaying our credentials, how self-sufficient we are? Or do we bring the “blockers” to him and ask for help?

“Relax! You Got the Job, Already!”

Can you imagine how frustrating it would be for an employer if, at every single staff meeting, an employee was trying to prove they deserved their place in the company? Hiding where they need help and just constantly broadcasting how well-qualified they are? All that would reveal is that employee’s insecurity in their position.

Are we insecure in our position in the Kingdom?

What if God is trying to tell you, “Relax, you got the job already! Be secure in your position my son bought for you on the cross. Stop trying to win the job you already have, and let’s get down to doing the work of my Kingdom!”

How would our conversations with God change if we showed up for Kingdom staff meetings, instead of a constant job interview, insecure in our position & trying to prove ourselves? How would we show up differently if we were secure in our position, versus constantly fearful about getting fired (or not even hired in the first place)?

Your Turn

Does this resonate? Does it make you think about your time with God differently? Do you see ways you can change your thinking to show up for God in a Kingdom staff meeting, instead of a job interview? Tell us your thoughts in the comments; your story will help us all grow. And please share this post if it would bless others.