How Do I Know the Voice of God?
I was recently in a Bible study and a question was presented that made all the women stop and think. The question was seemingly simple. How do you know when God is speaking to you? After a minute, women started speaking and the same answer was spoken by all, even if the wording was different. We all said that God’s voice is always different from our own.
The women all shared amazing stories of hearing God. One woman was prompted to pray with a stranger in a store, which initially led to feelings of doubt and hesitancy but ended with joy and reassurance. One woman spoke about many instances when God put an urgency in her heart to reach out to someone, only to find out that that person really needed encouragement or wisdom at the time. Another woman spoke about when she prays or reads God’s Word, she will hear the voice of God and that he gives her insight into what she needs.
My story is a little different. When I woke up the other day, it was stormy, full-on thundering, lightning, pouring down rain, and the house was shaking from the thunder. When I went to make my coffee, the whole house was dark. It was not the kind of day where I woke up ready to start the day; granted, I rarely wake up in that manner anyway.
It was the kind of day where some self-indulgence seemed acceptable. I wanted to put on a movie or watch a sitcom. I turned on the TV and went to choose streaming, app but my eyes were immediately drawn to RightNow Media. For those of you who don't know about RightNow Media, it is a streaming service that features Christian videos. I call it Netflix for believers.
I should have chosen RNM immediately but I had already decided in my heart to take it easy and be amused. I was tired, it was rainy and I wanted to watch something simple. So I went to choose another app. Immediately after, I felt a physical conflict within myself. I would go to click on one app and then I would physically be prompted to go to RightNow Media. I did this 4 times! 4 times! Four times I felt myself being torn between what I wanted to watch and what I should watch. I ended up clicking on RightNow Media and watched a video that was exactly what I needed.
So, how did I know that it was God speaking to me and the Spirit leading me? Even after all these years as a believer, I still have a mental checklist in my head and heart that is used to confirm if the voice I am hearing is God. Is this voice different from mine? Is there a familiarity to the voice? Is the voice I'm hearing prompting me to do something different than what I intended?
Like any relationship, the more time you spend with someone, the more you know their voice. You can even recognize inflections in their voice. Being married has taught me how to listen not only to what my husband says but how he says it. I have learned when to be quiet and wait for him to say what he needs to say. I know him and his voice because I spend time with him and desire to spend more time with him.
Just like spending time with my husband leads me to understand his voice, the years I have spent with the Lord have helped me recognize the voice of God. When prompted to watch a different video than I intended, I was able to recognize it for what it was, the voice of God. His voice helped me feel secure in the knowledge that what he had planned for me was better than what I had planned for myself.
One of the most well-known passages in the Bible is John 10, which has so much applicable truth in it as Jesus talks about the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. Through his analogy, he encourages believers to learn, trust, and follow his voice.
In verse 17, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me”.
He goes on to say in verse 27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.”
In the first century, there was one shepherd per herd. For the sheep to be safe, they had to listen to the distinct voice of their shepherd. Listening to any other voice would be dangerous and lead them away from the safety of their shepherd and herd. There would be a familiarity between the sheep and the shepherd. Just like how the sheep learned and knew the distinct voice of their shepherd, we too can learn and know the voice of God over time.
Verse 17 calls Jesus the good shepherd. A good shepherd has to be vigilant and pay attention not only to the herd as a whole but also to the individual sheep within the herd. Just like a shepherd watches over each individual sheep, Christ knows us individually and provides us with what we need. We need to be alert and not only listen to his voice but to his voice.
John 10: 27 emphasizes that the sheep follow the shepherd. His voice leads to safety and security. The sheep follow with obedience and knowledge of the shepherd's care and protection. Just like how the sheep follow the voice of their shepherd, we are called to follow the voice of God. We can follow him, knowing that his voice will lead us to provision and peace.
This passage in John is full of Christian doctrines and truths. I encourage you to read this entire passage in John 10. It is a beautiful depiction of the relationship we have with Christ, as his followers, and boldly foreshadows Christ laying down his life for us.
We can know the voice of God. The more we spend time with him, the more we can recognize his voice over any other. When we know that wherever God leads us, we are safe and cared for; it makes it easier to want to follow his voice. Like the sheep depend on their shepherd to lead them to water and pasture, we know that God provides for us, his believers. The sheep know that following the voice of their shepherd protects them, and we can also know with certainty that God will always protect us.
Here are some questions to think about:
Do you know Christ as your good shepherd?
Do you know his voice?
Do you trust his voice?
Has there been a time when you followed his leading and were able to see him work in you or through you?
Is the voice of God familiar to you or do you need to spend more time with him?