How to Hear God's Voice While Playing Worship Piano
The Holy Spirit is the true worship leader. As we are playing piano or singing, our goal is to hear and follow His voice as we play, sing, and lead. Before we discuss how to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit in worship, we need to establish that God still speaks today and we can hear His voice.
God the Father Speaks Today
So first, we will see that God the Father speaks today. Hebrews 1 says, “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.” So we see that God still speaks today, and He speaks through His Son.
Jesus Speaks Today
Now we’ll see something powerful about the nature of Jesus in speaking. A. W. Tozer wrote, “God is not silent, [and] has never been silent. It is the nature of God to speak. The second person of the Holy Trinity is called the Word.” Tozer here is referring to John 1, which says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” So here, Jesus is introduced as the Word. What is the purpose of a word? To speak, to communicate. The Greek word here is logos, which means “word,” or more accurately, “living expression.” So Jesus is called the Word. Speaking isn’t something He does; it’s who He is. It is His nature to speak.
The Holy Spirit Speaks Today
Now let’s look at the role of the Holy Spirit. In John 16, Jesus says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.” So Jesus clearly says that Holy Spirit will speak to us, again revealing that it is the nature of the Spirit to speak. It’s not something He does; it’s who He is. The Spirit is always speaking.
Interestingly, the Hebrew word for “spirit” is ruach, which also means “breath” or “wind.” When a person speaks, the word and the breath are released together.
How to Hear His Voice
So we’ve established that the nature of God is to speak, and He still speaks today. So how do we hear His voice? Be still, be quiet, and listen. You learn His voice in the secret place, not in front of people. If this is new for you, go be alone with Him for an hour. Worship, read His Word, and worship some more. Then at the end – for maybe the last 15-20 minutes – ask Him to speak to you. And then stop and listen for what He speaks to your heart. Ask Him questions. Ask how He sees you. Ask Him what is on His heart. Ask Him what you can pray for. And this is how you start to learn His voice.
At first you might be confused and wonder if you are actually hearing His voice or just your own thoughts. If you have those doubts, it’s okay. You are probably hearing Him but you don’t yet recognize His voice. That’s why it is important to worship and read the Word first to clear your mind and heart of any distractions, and then it will be much easier to hear His voice.
So learn His voice in the secret place, and then you will recognize when He speaks to you during worship. He might say something like, “Sing the chorus again. Go back to the verse. Play it softer. Go to this song.” When I lead worship, often I will reach the end of a chorus or song, and I can only think of one line to sing. It’s as though all other songs and lyrics left my mind and the only one left is the one He wants me to sing. That’s usually how the Holy Spirit speaks to me in worship.
What if you’re worshipping and you don’t hear His voice? Just keep worshipping. Remember, it’s not about you. It’s about loving Him. Just keep loving Him, and eventually He will inhabit your praises. He will fill the room with His glory, and He will speak to you or to others in the room. The further you go in worship, the easier it becomes to hear His voice.
Want to learn more?
Worship is the highest calling and what we were created for. If you would like to learn how to play worship piano with this heart of worship as the foundation, check out my online lessons or the Worship Essentials courses. This unique approach combines a simple, easy-to-follow method of learning the piano along with teachings on the heart of worship - and it has proven successful for people of all ages and levels.