It's Only Weird Until It Works: Hearing God's Voice in Business
It's Only Weird Until It Works: Hearing God's Voice in Business
Most Christian business owners are good at strategy. Systems, processes, planning — that part comes naturally, and it should. Proverbs is full of instruction on operating with wisdom, building well, and stewarding what you've been given.
But there's a moment where process reaches its limit. And God speaks outside the framework you're used to.
Proverbs 3:5-6 puts it plainly:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
Most of us love the "direct your paths" part. It's the "lean not on your own understanding" part that gets uncomfortable — because our understanding feels safe. Our systems feel safe. And sometimes God interrupts all of it.
God's Voice Often Sounds Childlike, Not Complicated
We tend to expect God to sound profound or complex. In reality, His voice is often simple — a picture, an impression, a gentle nudge that feels almost too easy.
Jesus modelled this constantly. Spitting in mud. Telling a man to wash in a river. Filling jars with water. Casting a net one more time. None of it looked impressive on paper. It only made sense once it worked.
Two Stories of Obedience Over Logic
In one of our barber shops, a till system kept breaking despite every technical fix being tried. After asking God directly what to do, the simple impression came: put a five-dollar note underneath it. It felt absurd. But after doing it in obedience, the system stabilised.
The note wasn't magic. The obedience was the point.
A farmer facing a brutal season asked God the same question — what do You want me to do? A brochure for a new tillage machine arrived in the mail. No dramatic sign. Just peace. He explored it, used it, and had one of the strongest seasons of his career — eventually paying off his debt and expanding his land.
Neither of these stories required abandoning wisdom. They required adding obedience to it.
How to Know If It's God or You
This is the question most business owners ask: how do I know if this is God's voice or my own?
A helpful distinction: your own voice often carries subtle pressure or anxiety, even around small decisions. God's voice tends to carry peace — even when the instruction stretches you. Often there's clarity, sometimes excitement, and frequently an unusual sense of capacity or favour that follows.
It's not always certainty. But it is grace.
Making Room for the Unusual
Practically, this looks like asking different questions in your business — not just what should I do, but:
What are You highlighting right now?
What am I missing?
Is there something You want me to partner with?
Because ultimately, the business, the leadership, and the assignment belong to Him.
And yes — sometimes you'll get it wrong. That's part of the process, not a disqualifier. God works all things together for good, and obedience is a muscle that strengthens with practice.
Your Next Breakthrough Might Feel Strange First
If something feels unusual right now — a thought, a nudge, a prompting that doesn't fit your normal process — it might not be wrong. It might just be new.
It's only weird until it works.
🎧 Listen to the full episode: It's Only Weird Until It Works
