The Voice

I Love Your Voice

There are some new songs that fade very quickly but some have a way of touching our hearts and becoming an anthem. One of those songs that has become very special to not only me but to many, many people is the song The Goodness of God.

In the 2nd verse the lyrics say, “I love Your voice. You have led me through the fire. In darkest nights, You are close like no other. I’ve known you as a father. I’ve known you as a friend. I have lived in the goodness of God.”

The first words are heartwarming…and challenging, “I love Your voice”. “Heartwarming” because I know many people who have saved voice recordings of loved ones. They have kept voice messages of their mother or father, husband or wife, any loved one. Occasionally they will listen to the voice again to recall the familiar voice. “Challenging” because it may be that you’ve sung those lyrics but wondered, “What’s it like to hear the voice of God”? I think you’ll find that He’s been speaking, you may just not be tuned in.

Learning how to hear the voice of God is the solution to a thousand problems.

- Mark Batterson, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God

We Need to Hear God’s Voices

There are SOOO many voices out there competing for our attention. I still hear the voice of the Welsh evangelist Arthur Burt say to beware of the “back seat drivers of life who are constantly prodding you with umbrellas”. I think of that when I hear a voice telling me to do something that just doesn’t feel right.

The Bible is filled with bad advisors:

· King David’s trusted advisor betrayed him and supported Absalom’s rebellion.

· King David’s grandson listened to the foolish young advisors instead of the older and wiser ones.

· A group of 25 men appeared to the prophet Ezekiel at Jerusalem’s east gate and actively encouraged the city to sin.

· King Ahab listened to his wicked wife’s, Jezebel, advice to kill an innocent man.

· The list goes on with Balaam, Egyptian advisers, and Caiaphas in the NT

A fundamental principle emerges from these examples: King David opens the Psalms by warning against walking in the counsel of the wicked, emphasizing this as a critical principle for avoiding destructive influence. The pattern suggests that bad advisors typically lack genuine spiritual grounding—they prioritize personal gain, political advantage, or misguided loyalty over truth and righteousness.

It seems to me that the ideal way to avoid bad advisors and tune out their noise is to learn to hear the Voice of God, also frequently referred to as “being led by the Spirit”.

Hearing the Voice of God

Yes, His Voice Can Be Known

The Bible teaches that hearing God’s voice is fundamentally relational—it develops through familiarity and attentiveness rather than through passive waiting. Jesus taught that “My sheep know my voice,” and believers must spend enough time with the Shepherd to recognize His voice when they hear it. This recognition comes through intentional practice. Jesus demonstrated that solitude sharpens awareness of God’s presence and helps discern the Father’s will. Jesus frequently took time to find solitude to speak to His Father. That doesn’t mean that solitude is the only time God speaks…

He Can ‘Inflect’ His Voice

We don’t have just one tone when we speak. We can whisper, sing, shout, or speak normally. God can inflect His voice too and we need to be open to hearing His voice through multiple channels.

Job 33:14–16 NIV

For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings,

I asked my daughter for permission to share this recent story. The New Mexico AG network had been looking for a camp manager for their campground in Ruidoso but hadn’t been able to fill the position. In the middle of the night a couple months ago, Brittni woke up with the impression, “Ask Joshua and Stephanie Luke” who were serving as missionaries in Alaska. So, that is exactly what she did. It turned out that Josh and Stephanie had been seeking the Lord about what was next. They applied, interviewed, and were hired. God spoke in the middle of the night and it all fell together.

The Lord revealed Himself to prophets through visions and dreams. Beyond these extraordinary means, God sometimes speaks through a gentle whisper, as when Elijah heard a quiet voice after wind, earthquake, and fire had passed.

1 Kings 19:11–13 NIV

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Historically, God spoke through prophets at many times and in various ways. (Heb 1:1–2)

We Can Develop Our Listening Muscles

At the end of all seven letters to the churches in Revelation, we read this phrase…

Revelation 2:7 NIV

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches…

Do we have ears?

His Voice Brings Calm

The voice of the Lord brings deep calm to the spirit, whereas the devil’s voice often causes confusion and restlessness. It doesn’t bring calm because it is what we want to hear. It brings calm because we know that what He says is right and good.

His Voice Aligns with Scripture

God’s voice aligns with Scripture, though the adversary can misquote it by omitting safeguarding context. Do you remember the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness? The devil came and tempted Jesus to provide bread, perform a special miracle showing power, and control of all the world’s kingdoms. All good stuff but for the wrong purposes. Jesus took Satan back to the Scriptures each time and put it in right context.

 Believers are instructed to test the spirits to determine whether they are from God.

His Voice is Distinct

We learn to recognize His voice as we actively listen for it. The following story illustrates this point well.

An zoologist was walking down a busy city street with a friend. In the midst of the honking horns and screeching tires, he exclaimed to his friend, “Listen to that cricket!” The friend looked at the zoologist in astonishment and asked, “You hear a cricket in the middle of all this noise and confusion?” Without a word, the scientist reached into his pocket, took out a coin, and flipped it into the air. As it clinked on the sidewalk, a dozen heads turned in response. The zoologist said quietly to his friend, “We hear what we listen for.”[1]

As a Child of God, You Can Hear His Voice

Romans 8:14–15 NIV

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Many people are waiting for a dramatic moment—a burning bush, a thunderous voice, a life-altering vision—but most often God forms His children through daily attentiveness. The question is not merely, “Is God speaking?” The question is, “Am I listening?”

Create Space for His Voice

One of the greatest obstacles to hearing God is not unbelief—it is noise.

Our lives are crowded with podcasts, news feeds, social media, entertainment, anxiety, and endless notifications. We are overstimulated and under-listening.

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. If Jesus needed quiet space with the Father, how much more do we?

Maybe for you the application is very practical:

Turn off the radio during your commute.

Put the phone down for fifteen minutes.

Start your day with Scripture before social media.

Sit quietly before the Lord and simply pray, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

You may be surprised how much clearer His voice becomes when the competing voices grow quieter.

Open Your Bible Expecting God to Speak

People sometimes say, “I wish God would speak to me,” while their Bible sits unopened all week. God’s voice will never contradict God’s Word. The primary way we learn His voice is through Scripture. The more familiar you become with His Word, the more quickly you recognize His leading.

When fear speaks, Scripture reminds you, “Do not fear.”

When shame speaks, Scripture reminds you there is no condemnation in Christ.

When bitterness speaks, Scripture calls you to forgive.

When confusion speaks, Scripture brings light.

The Shepherd’s voice becomes recognizable when we spend time hearing Him speak through His Word.

Pay Attention to the Promptings of the Spirit

Sometimes God’s voice comes as a strong conviction. Sometimes as a gentle nudge.

A prompting to encourage someone.

A burden to pray.

A hesitation about a decision.

A reminder to apologize.

A sudden compassion for someone hurting.

We should not become mystical or careless, but we also should not become so skeptical that we ignore the Spirit’s leading altogether.

The Christian life was never meant to be lived merely by human logic. Romans says, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” Children learn the Father’s voice through relationship.

Test What You Hear

Not every voice deserves your trust. That is why we test impressions against:

Scripture

The character of Jesus

The fruit produced

Wise spiritual counsel

God’s voice may convict you, but it will not manipulate you. It may challenge you, but it will not condemn you. It may lead you into courage, but not into confusion and chaos.

The enemy pushes with fear and pressure. The Shepherd leads with truth and peace.

Respond When He Speaks

Hearing God is not only about recognition—it is about obedience. Sometimes we want more direction while ignoring the last thing He already said. The more faithfully we obey His voice, the more sensitive we become to hearing it.

If He says forgive—forgive.

If He says trust—trust.

If He says go—go.

If He says wait—wait.

The goal is not spiritual entertainment. The goal is relationship and obedience.

Loving His Voice

There are many voices fighting for your attention.

The voice of fear…culture…shame…anger…comparison…your past.

Some voices push you toward despair… toward pride… toward compromise… Some simply keep you distracted long enough that you never slow down enough to hear the Shepherd.

But above all the noise, there is still a Voice…

A Voice that called creation into existence… that calmed storms… that called Lazarus out of the grave…that still calls sons and daughters by name.

And Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.”

Not just pastors.

Not just prophets.

Not just spiritually elite people.

His sheep.

That means we can know His voice. We can be led by His Spirit. We can walk with confidence instead of confusion.

Maybe today your life feels noisy and disoriented. Maybe you’ve been listening to every voice except the One that matters most. This week, make room for His voice again.

Open the Word.

Sit in His presence.

Listen carefully.

Obey quickly.

Because the safest place in the world is not where life is easiest—it is where the Shepherd is leading. And when you learn to recognize His voice, you discover what the song says is true: “I love Your voice.” Not because life is always easy, but because through every fire, every dark night, and every uncertain season, His voice has remained faithful, steady, loving, and good.

[1] Cheryl Taylor, Prayer and Worship: An Independent-Study Textbook (Springfield, MO: Global University, 2006), 71.