What Does God’s Voice Sound Like?

It never ceases to amaze me how God talks to us.  I’m positive that He’s talked to me my whole life, and I didn’t even know it was Him.  The closer I grow to God and the stronger my relationship gets with Him, the easier it is for me to recognize God’s voice.  Did you know He talks to you all the time too?  You may have not even realized it was Him, simply mistaking God’s voice as just a random thought going through your head or just an odd coincidence of events.

Today, I thought I’d share a story I wrote a while back about hearing and recognizing God’s voice in something as simple as home décor. 

“My sheep recognize my voice.  I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (MSG)

Jesus’ arm

Jesus told me where his arm was.  That was the message that I had sent to my husband, half-jokingly, half-serious.  I have a wall decoration that is a carved wooden cross with a figurine of Jesus hanging on the cross.  Eric had brought it back to me as a souvenir from Budapest when he was there on leave while in the military. There is a place in the living room where it usually hangs.  I had temporarily removed it to put up some Christmas decorations in its place.  It had been stored in one of the empty Christmas boxes. 

After Christmas was over and the decorations were taken down (I’m not going to tell you how long after Christmas this was), I had taken the cross and set it on an end table waiting to hang it back up.  One of the kids later passed by it and asked where Jesus’ arm was.  It had been broken off.  I assumed that the kids must have broken it while playing with their cousins and neglected to tell me.

“Random” thoughts

I later searched the area where the cross had been lying thinking maybe the arm had fallen beneath the table or into a candy dish.  I couldn’t find it.  While searching I had a random thought pop into my head… ”Maybe the kids didn’t break it.  Maybe it broke off in the box where it was being stored.  Maybe the arm is still in the box.”  I couldn’t even remember which box it had been in.

I had another thought, “I bet it’s in that box right there that’s already packed back up with Christmas items.  I bet it’s underneath all that stuff.”  Then I was irritated that I’d have to pull everything back out to search for a tiny arm that may or may not be there and then have to pack all that Christmas stuff back up again.  What a hassle!  So I didn’t mess with it and went on my way.  “Maybe I’ll check it later…or maybe I’ll just hang Jesus back up with one arm!  …the untold story of how Jesus lost his arm at the crucifixion!” No…that would be wrong.

Obedience to a “voice”

I sucked it up and decided to obey the “voice” inside my head.  I know enough at this point in my walk with God to know God’s voice and know to obey it even if it’s silly or inconvenient. Aggravated, I KNEW that arm was going to be in the bottom of that box.  So, I took out all of the garland and greenery that was already so neatly wrapped up and tucked away and looked beneath. No arm.  There were still some lights at the bottom of the box though, but I just kind of poked through them and moved them around a bit and still didn’t see anything.

Another thought, “Take the lights out.”  My next thought, “Darn it…Okay, okay!”  So I removed the strands of lights and guess what was underneath…Jesus’ arm.  Imagine that.  I knew it would be there, but for some reason, I still tried to argue and reason my way out of it.  Needless to say, Jesus now has his arm back, and I got yet another mini-lesson in obeying that still, small voice in my head even though seemingly trivial and somewhat troublesome.

“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:11-12 (NKJV) 

Take Some Practical Steps to Hear God’s Voice:

• You probably hear God’s voice every day. Pay attention.  Slow down and listen.

If you’re not careful, you might just miss it!  Pay attention to those random thoughts and coincidences.  I love what comedian Michael Jr. said one time while visiting our church.  He said he knew God’s name:  It’s “Something”.  Then he said, “Watch, I’ll prove it to you.  Have you ever made a bad choice or decision and then have to deal with the consequences.  Then you said to yourself ‘something’ told me not to do that!”  Has “something” been telling you anything lately?  (Learn more about HOW to recognize God’s voice here.)

• Confess (say out loud) John 10:27… ”I hear God’s voice. I know it and I recognize it.”

“My sheep recognize my voice.  I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (MSG)

• Write down when/what God speaks to you.

Sometimes it seems a little crazy.  However, I promise you that if you’ll start doing this you’ll start growing in your faith and in your confidence to hear from God.  I had a similar experience while I was reading my Bible, and a phrase from a scripture stood out to me as if God was speaking it straight to me.  I wrote it down in my journal (even though I felt a little crazy).  Later that day, that exact phrase came back into my head at a very “coincidental” time.  It made me say to myself, “That really WAS God.”  It was kind of proof to myself.  I was glad I wrote it down.  You will be too.  And you’re not crazy, so don’t worry! 🙂

Have you ever had random thoughts or coincidences you KNEW were from God?  How do you hear God’s voice?  Tell us about it by leaving a comment below. 

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If you have benefited from this post or if you know anyone that could benefit from this, please pay it forward and share this post with them via the sharing links below! “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV) 

*Updated: Originally posted 9/9/2014