Eleven times, the Bible tells us to have ears to hear what God is speaking to us. There are approximately 700 references to God hearing us when we cry out to him.

So if God hears us, and he tells us to listen and have ears to hear him, that his sheep know his voice (John 10:3-4), then why do we have such trouble hearing God? Or why do we think we can’t hear God or he doesn’t hear us?

I feel pretty confident I hear God speak. Sometimes it’s a whisper in my head. Most often it’s through his Word—with a verse jumping out at me. Many times someone teaching or friends’ word will resonate so strongly that I know God is getting my attention.

I feel confident at least until whatever I heard doesn’t happen right away. Or ends up being different than I thought. Then I wonder. I don’t usually question God, but I do question whether I’ve heard him correctly or not. I am fallible after all.

But what about when we feel like God is completely silent?

These are some of the reasons I’ve learned for why I might not be hearing God:

• We’re in sin. Maybe not blatantly doing something evil, but not being willing to forgive, being prideful, living in or with a lie, harboring resentment, anger, or bitterness against something or someone, envying what someone has, gossiping, the wrong thoughts or attitudes in our mind – all sinful actions that we can easily pass off. Especially since most of that no one would know except us and God. But sin puts up a barrier between us and God. It keeps us from hearing God and blocks our talking to him. (I Pet. 3:7)
• We haven’t obeyed the last thing God told us to do. (That’s sin also, but maybe more neglectful than blatant.) Sometimes God speaks, but we don’t actually follow through with what he told us. Why would he give us a new or additional answer or direction when we haven’t done the last thing he told us?
• We don’t like what he’s said so we keep asking for a different answer or trying to figure things out in a different way. He won’t give us another answer just because we don’t like the first one. Even when I know the answer, if it doesn’t “make sense” to me, I may keep trying on different scenarios to see what fits. I find I become less at peace and more agitated if I do this. That agitation is a good alert that I’m simply not taking God at his word and obeying even if it doesn’t make sense to me.
• He is answering “no.” We need to surrender to him when we ask. Even Jesus, when he was in the garden, asked for God to not have him go through with his crucifixion. But he prayed for God’s will to be done, not his. God’s plans may not be easy, but they are always better in the long run. He might not want to give us what we ask for because he knows it won’t be good or the best for us or others.
• He is saying “not yet” or “wait.” Sometimes we simply need to wait; even if we wait a long time.  God promised Abraham he would have a child, but it was over a decade before that promise came to be. I’m not always good at waiting and can think that I didn’t hear him if the promise is taking “too long.” God’s timing is not ours. He has many situations to orchestrate for some events to come together. But the Bible says in Ecclesiastes that he makes all things beautiful in his time.
• We think we already know or understand what he’s said, but he means something else. God’s ways are beyond our understanding.

Once, I was given a prophetic word telling me that God was bringing a “turn-around time” in my life. I thought that meant that my past marriage would turn around to be fixed, our business wouldn’t go under, and I wouldn’t lose my home. We lost everything and I ended up divorced. For six years I was angry with God and the prophet who gave that word. Then through a series of unwanted (but later welcomed) events, the Lord spoke again. “Your life did turn around, daughter.” He was right. Because my life in those six years had completely changed. While the season was heart-breaking, I made choices to be freed from an abusive situation, was becoming financially settled, and living in a healing place—my life was so much better! I repented for my misunderstanding and anger and thanked God that he had my best in mind even though it didn’t appear that way to me because it was a difficult time.

Last year, the word God gave me for the year was “increase.” I thought that meant more growth and stability in my marriage, my book sales, our housing situation, acquiring business properties, healing for a chronic illness…but, you guessed it. It ended up being a challenging year with situations not turning out anything like I hoped or expected.

Did anything increase? Yes! My love for Jesus, my faith, my learning more about God and his character, my emotional health. Would I trade that for what I expected instead? Never. Just because things didn’t turn out the way I thought they would, doesn’t mean God didn’t speak or answer me. And I did hear the word “increase” just as I believed I did even though it didn’t pan out the way I thought it would.

Psalm 130 says that God is attentive to our cries. He isn’t ignoring us. He’s weaving together something far more beneficial and beautiful than we can think or imagine. (Eph. 3:20)

For that I am so incredibly grateful!

One of the things I didn’t expect to be doing is pushing aside my list of started books to write another biblical fiction. But I knew when God said to write An Ear to Hear for an Easter release that I’d better get on it. (Thank you NaNoWriMo for the great start.)

If you’ve read the Bible at all, you might remember that Peter whacked off a guy’s ear when the high priest came to arrest Jesus in the garden so he could have him crucified. How would that night change your life if you were that guy?

His name was Malchus, and An Ear to Hear is his story. We don’t know much about him, but even a fictionalized story about a real person can speak to us. I pray God will do that for my readers just as he is speaking to me while I’m writing.

Here’s a little taste of the beginning:

I thought I was a dead man.

I knew something was going on that night. Nothing about the mysterious man sounded dangerous, but Caiaphas and some of the priests had been murmuring about Jesus of Nazareth more over the past few months. As a servant, I had no say in the matter. All I could do was obey. When Caiaphas, the High Priest, told me to follow him and the other religious leaders with the detachment of soldiers, that’s what I did. But I wanted to ask why we needed such a large crowd. One of his own followers, a man called Judas, led us straight to him. The situation didn’t feel right. Marching through the dark into the olive grove with enough men to be considered an army was ludicrous. Of course, no one asked for my opinion.

Judas walked right up, leaned in, and kissed the man. “Greetings, Rabbi.”

A kiss seemed like a strange method of betrayal. I lifted the torch in my left hand higher to get a better look at this Jesus they called “rabbi.” He wasn’t even armed.

“Judas. Friend, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

This alleged criminal called his betrayer “friend?” Why? This made no sense. The high priest pushed right up within a couple of feet from his face.

“Who is it you want?” Jesus asked.

“Jesus of Nazareth,” answered the High Priest. Anger laced his words.

“I am he,” said Jesus.

The High Priest and those other religious men fell back as if struck by an unseen force. They dropped to the ground. It seemed a little overly dramatic to me.

Jesus asked the question again.

“Jesus of Nazareth.” This time, they responded with less confidence, glancing uneasily at each other.

“I told you that I am he. If you’re looking for me, then let these men go,” he said.

“Lord, should we strike with our swords?” A voice called out.

Before his words could land, a flash of light reflected off the glow of my torch. Pain sliced through my head. My hand shot up to my right ear. Blood spurted between my fingers. The olive trees swirled around me. I stumbled.

“Ugh!” I howled.

“No more of this! Peter! Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me? Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

I only caught part of his words from my left side. Blood ran down my arm. My head throbbed. His speech sounded garbled.

Did he say legions of angels?

Jesus reached out and touched my head. Tingling spread through the side of my head–aching like when one of my legs regained feeling after sitting on it for a long time. Then, in an instant, deep heat replaced the pain. I heard myself breathing. The world righted itself. I stared at him, my mouth hanging open in disbelief. What just happened?

Look for a cover reveal coming soon!

P.S. And another fun connection I didn’t expect? A few years back I started a book called The Fisherman’s Wife about the apostle Peter’s wife and how hard it is sometimes for wives to trust their husbands with faith, grace, and a submitted heart. Yesterday, when I was working on Malchus’s story, I realized there is a crossover with characters. That mean The Fisherman’s Wife isn’t far behind!

How would a wife with an impulsive husband like Simon Peter handle his “crazy” proclamation that he was leaving to follow Jesus? For how long? Would he come home again? How does she submit to him and be gentle and quiet in spirit when her heart is anxious and in turmoil? Can Abigail overcome her fear and remain faithful even to his death? And hers…?