Have You Learned to Hear the Voice of God?
John the Baptist stands in Scripture as one of the most striking and challenging figures in the entire Bible. Jesus Himself said that among those born of women, there had not risen anyone greater than John (Matthew 11:11). Yet John lived a life that most people today would consider obscure, uncomfortable, and even unsuccessful by worldly standards. His greatness was not found in fame, wealth, or longevity, but in obedience. At the heart of John’s life was one defining trait: he knew how to hear the voice of God.
From the very beginning of his life, John was marked by divine purpose. When he was born, his father Zechariah did not merely see a child; he saw a fulfillment of prophecy. Zechariah had encountered an angel in the temple who told him that his son would be great in the sight of the Lord and would go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:15–17). After Zechariah’s tongue was loosed, he prophesied over John, declaring that this child would be called a prophet of the Most High and would prepare the way of the Lord. Imagine growing up with a father who continually reminded you, “You were born for this. God has a calling on your life. You are here to prepare the way for the Messiah.” From infancy, John was burdened with a sense of holy destiny.
Yet destiny did not lead John into comfort. Instead, it led him into obscurity. Scripture tells us that John spent many years in the wilderness. Tradition and inference suggest that this was not a short retreat, but a long season, possibly ten years or more, of isolation and preparation. The desert was not romantic. It was harsh, unforgiving, and lonely. John lived under the burning sun, with little water, surviving on locusts and wild honey. He wore camel’s hair and a leather belt, the clothing of a prophet, not the robes of a priest or the garments of royalty. There were no crowds, no applause, no visible fruit. Just sand, silence, and God.
Why would God prepare His greatest forerunner in such a way? Because in the desert, John learned something that cannot be taught in comfort: he learned to hear the voice of God. Removed from noise, distraction, and human approval, John’s heart was tuned to heaven. The wilderness stripped him of dependence on people and systems and forced him to depend entirely on God. When there is nothing else to listen to, you begin to listen more closely to the Lord.
Luke 3:2 captures this moment with profound simplicity: “during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” This is remarkable. Read that again, “The word of the Lord came to John?” The word of God did not come to the religious elite in Jerusalem. It did not come to the powerful, the influential, or the politically connected. It came to a man in the wilderness. John did not chase a word from God; he positioned himself to receive it. He was quiet enough, surrendered enough, and prepared enough to hear when God spoke.
This raises an important question for us today: Have you learned to be quiet enough to hear the word of the Lord? Our lives are often filled with constant noise, notifications, opinions, schedules, pressures, and endless activity. We pray, but do we listen? We ask God to speak, but do we make space for His voice? John’s life reminds us that hearing God often requires intentional withdrawal, stillness, and patience. The voice of God is not always found in the earthquake, wind, or fire, but in the still, small voice.
John’s entire life of preparation culminated in one world-changing moment. After years in the wilderness and months of preaching repentance at the Jordan River, the moment arrived. John saw Jesus coming toward him and cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Everything John had endured, the isolation, the discipline, the obscurity, was for this declaration. His mission was not to build his own ministry, but to point to Jesus. He did not seek to be the center of attention; he existed to direct attention to Christ.
There is something deeply humbling and powerful about this. John teaches us to be the best we can be, even if we are called to remain in the background. Not everyone is called to be the star; some are called to be the signpost. John understood that his role was temporary. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). True greatness in the Kingdom of God is not measured by how visible we are, but by how faithfully we fulfill our assignment.
John’s life did not end in triumph by human standards. He was imprisoned for speaking the truth and eventually beheaded at the request of a wicked ruler. From the outside, it looked like failure. His ministry was cut short. His voice was silenced. His life ended in apparent defeat. But heaven tells a different story. John completed his assignment. He prepared the way. He pointed to the Messiah. He finished what God called him to do.
God does not judge us by whether we are the most successful, the most popular, or the most admired. He judges us by whether we are faithful. John reminds us that obedience matters more than outcomes, and faithfulness matters more than applause. A life spent hearing the voice of God and obeying it is never a failure, even if it ends in loss by worldly standards.
So, have you learned to hear the voice of God? Are you willing to embrace seasons of quiet, obscurity, and preparation? Are you content to point others to Jesus, even if it means you stand in the background? Like John the Baptist, may we learn to listen in the wilderness, speak when God commands, and finish our assignment with faithfulness.
