I’m curious.
What does God’s voice sound like?
If I had to guess, I think it would be a cross between Morgan Freeman, Charleton Heston, Edward Hermann, Michael Buble or Frank Sinatra, and someone who has a super-deep bass. Someone like the old gospel singer, JD Sumner.
But I don’t really know, because I’ve never heard it.
So when someone says, “God spoke to me,” what does that really mean?
There have only been a few times in my life, and really, I can count them on one hand, when I know that God has been speaking to me in a specific moment.
The rest of the time, I’ve either discerned his “voice” after a lesson He’s wanted me to learn, or via scripture, or based on a recurring theme that seems to pop up in my life, making me aware that He wants me to pay attnetion to something specific.
But sometimes I worry–am I really hearing him, or am I putting words in His mouth?
Have you ever opened the Bible and read a scripture that seemed to directly apply to a situation in your life, or seemed to answer a question you’d been pondering?
Is that God speaking, or is that pure coincidence?
I never want to judge too quickly on that one. I never want to assume that God is speaking to me just because I come across something that seems to answer my question or address my problem, or just because I suddenly have a “feeling”.
We all know that feelings can be fleeting.
So what do I do in this situation? I pray.
I pray for discernment. I pray for guidance. I pray that if God is genuinely speaking, that he’ll make it clear so that I’ll have no doubt.
Sometimes He does, and other times I know I’ve tried to put words in His mouth.
I’ve heard people claim that they’ve heard God “speak” to them, and I wonder…did He really?
I certainly can’t judge another person’s relationship with God, but I do know one thing–
You can’t hear God if you aren’t listening.
You can’t hear him if you aren’t being still, taking the opportunity to sit in His presence and develop a relationship so close that when He does speak, you recognize Him immediately.
And you can’t hear Him if you are talking over Him–putting words in His mouth.
But I’ve never “heard” the voice of God, and like many of you, I wish I could.
I yearn for a burning bush that would speak to me, clarifying the things I worry about.
I yearn for a mountain to scale and be in the presence of the Holy One who would blind me with his very countenance.
But I’ll settle for the ways in which I do hear him. They aren’t audible, but they work for me.
My son’s know when their father is calling them. They recognize his voice. They know what he means. They understand his inflection and tone, and they know better than to put words in his mouth.
That’s the kind of relationship I want with my Heavenly Father; one in which I know him so well that recognizing his voice is automatic, instinctive, and equated with a love deeper than my own understanding.
Share with me: How does God speak to you? How do you know it’s Him?
Hale and Hearty Words 
