Have you ever had the profound experience of hearing the voice of God in audible words spoken? Or maybe it was more subtle than that. A feeling in your heart. A certainty of what you’re supposed to do next. The sensation of peace.
Don’t feel bad if you can’t relate to any of the above. Discerning the voice of God is not the art or experience some people make it out to be. But it might make you wonder:
Does God talk to me like that, or is there something preventing me from hearing him?
What does it mean when God seems silent?
Let me tell you about my experience with hearing God’s voice.
Hi, I’m Lauren Thell, author of Christian YA fiction and blogger for teens who are ready to exceed the world’s expectations.
In This Article
Discerning the Voice of God: My Personal Story
Two years ago, my husband received a job offer from a school several hours southwest of our current locale. We’d prayed for years for relief from the frustrations of his current position, so it might sound like a no-brainer. But we had young children to consider, a newly remodeled home, and were well-rooted in our current church family.
It was not an easy decision.
So we prayed. And we prayed some more. I prayed when I washed dishes, and I prayed when I hung the clothes on the line, and I prayed when I lay in bed at night, worrying. Then it finally happened.
I heard a voice, quiet but certain, that told me exactly what we should do. “Take the job, make the move, I am with you.” That very night, I saw it in a dream: my family living in a nice home on a ridge surrounded by Christmas trees. And the church we would go to, and the school we should put our kids in.
In that moment, I knew exactly what God wanted us to do and that he would be with us through it all.
And I felt peace.
You Turn: True or False?
Now I have a challenge for you: I’m a fiction writer, so can you tell me at which point this story went from fact to fiction?
I’ll help you out. The job offer was true, as was the frustration surrounding my husband’s current position. Yes, we loved our church family and knew this would be a difficult move. And, yes, we prayed like crazy every minute—including in the middle of the night when we should’ve been sleeping.
The fiction began when I said I heard a voice that told me exactly what I should do. That never happened. Neither did the grand vision laying out our path.
And I felt no peace, even after we made the decision to move.
Does God Talk to You?
I can honestly say that’s never happened to me. And I’ve been a Christian my whole life.
Back to my original question: Have you ever the voice of God, or got the feeling where you just knew what God wanted you to do? I can honestly say that’s never happened to me.
And I’ve been a Christian my whole life.
God just doesn’t speak to me that way. Does he speak to you like that? If so, I envy you—but I suspect you are in the minority.
The Lucky Few
Lots of people in history have heard the voice of God loud and clear: Adam and Eve when God told them not to eat from the tree (and they did it anyway). Noah when God literally said to him, “Make yourself an ark” in Genesis 6.
How about Moses? He got heard God’s voice lots of times, giving him exact instructions on what to do. What’s more, he had the privilege of seeing God’s glory (Exodus 33:12-23) and when he returned, his face was so radiant the people were afraid to come near him.
I have a few silvery hairs on my head, but they’re certainly not from hearing or seeing the Lord.
I won’t even go into the stories of Saint Paul and all the other prophets and apostles. But why doesn’t God talk to everyone like that? Is there something wrong with those of us who never hear him speak? Are we simply horrible at discerning the voice of God?
With nowhere else to turn, I begrudgingly dig out my Bible for answers when God seems silent.
Pause For a Minute
The Bible contains 66 books. In the NIV edition my husband uses (which is not a study Bible and has no additional commentary), there are 695 pages. According to the Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance, the word “and” appears 29,600 times in the Bible and the word “the” 55,728 times. That’s a lot of words!
And every single one comes from God.
That’s a lot of words. And every single one comes from God.
God doesn’t appear to his people today the way he did in the past, but unlike the people of the past, we have his Word, bound and printed in its entirety in over 600 languages. If you lose yours, you can head over to Wal-Mart and buy another for as little as ten bucks. And a nice zippered cover with an adjustable strap that allows you to carry it anywhere.
We can literally carry God’s Word everywhere we go, and we grumble because God doesn’t “speak” to us?
When God Seems Silent, Look in Your Bible!
I won’t pretend to know why God does the things he does. He is God, I am not. But I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that maybe the reason he doesn’t talk to us with an audible voice is because he wants us to find him in his Word.
He wants you to seek him, to study his words in earnest. Plenty of other voices compete for your attention, but the one you need to hear most is right in front of your eyes, shouting at you with spectacular silence.
2 Chronicles 15:2
Walk By Faith, Not By Feeling
If you are someone who actually hears a voice that sounds like God, this applies to you no less. Because how can you know if it’s truly him if you never study your Bible? How can you know if the feeling that you should do this or that is from him if you don’t know him intimately?
Only through God’s Word.
Maybe the reason God doesn’t talk to us with an audible voice is because he wants us to find him in his Word.
Brian and I sought him when we wrestled with our decision of whether or not to move. No, the Bible does not specifically say whether you should stay at one job or move to another. (Believe me, I looked). But we prayed for wisdom and for the Holy Spirit to guide us. We read verses in the Bible about his provision for us. We looked at the practical aspects of making such a move.
And then we decided to go for it.
There was no immediate feeling of peace after we made our decision. Yeah, sometimes that doesn’t happen either. In fact, dread settled in. We still had a house to sell and a new place to find, boxes to pack, the headache of choosing a school for our kids… Things didn’t fall into place immediately. It wasn’t until about three months later—after we scrambled to move and ended up on a Christmas tree farm—that we finally felt God had guided our ways.
You don’t have to have all the answers.
But, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
How to Hear God’s Voice? Read it!
If you hear nothing, don’t be alarmed. There’s nothing wrong with you. God still speaks to you through scripture, and often that’s where his voice is loudest. Dedicate yourself to him, seek him in prayer, and follow his Word in earnest. You can trust the Holy Spirit is guiding every moment of your life.
And if you do hear a voice, go to the Bible to check it against his Word. He won’t be offended if you do!
“Indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
Proverbs 2:3-5
Seek the Lord, and he will be found by you!
More on Discerning the Voice of God—and His Will For Your Life
When God seems silent, sometimes it’s a matter of decluttering our heads so we can finally discern his voice from the “noise” of life. Find practical tips on how to do that in my post Turn Down The Volume: How to Hear God’s Voice.
Other helpful posts: