Hearing God’s Voice

God’s voice is unmistakable. Should we have lived in ancient times, we would have heard a booming, thunderous, earthshaking sound pouring forth from the midst of a thick cloud. The book of Job, which chronicles the suffering and repentance of a wealthy man, said this about God’s voice:

Keep listening to the thunder of his voice
and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
Under the whole heaven he lets it go,
and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
After it his voice roars;
he thunders with his majestic voice,
and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard.

(Job 37:2-4)

Not all scripture points to a pillar-rattling sound emanating from God’s mouth, however. When God spoke to the prophet Elijah, He instructed him to stand on the mount in order for him to hear His voice. What Elijah then experience took him by surprise, “And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks 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 the sound of a low whisper” (1 Kings 19:11-12).

As Christians, that low whisper—that still small voice dwells in us. We hear it when we face difficult decisions. We hear it when we need comfort. We hear it when we need God’s support. We hear it when things are not working the way they should. His voice is our direction. His voice is our safety. His voice is where to which we lean. His voice will bring us back to where we need to be.

Let us continue to hear God’s voice.