The Voice of God

Photo by Michael & Diane Weidner on Unsplash

               Those Old Testament stories make it seem like conversations with God were frequent and casual. Abraham just talked to God like He was a neighbor. Moses and the Lord were old friends. Deborah heard from Him regularly as she judged with His wisdom. But us, today? How do we hear the voice of God?

               Of course, the first thing we imagine is a deep, booming voice from the sky. We read Psalm 29, which basically describes hearing from God just like that. After a couple of verses praising God’s strength and glory, David describes the Lord’s voice as thunder over mighty waters, powerful and majestic, and like lightning and an earthquake. Everyone exalts His glory! God reigns eternally as King, giving strength and peace to His people.

               While I don’t doubt this even a little bit, I’ve never personally heard God thunder. Sometimes it’s hard to hear Him at all, especially when I feel I desperately need Him to weigh in on crucial matters. In the past, I’ve felt like I’ve heard God’s voice quietly, and more often in the presence of the Holy Spirit than actual words. He guides me through circumstances and gives me peace.

               For example, He led me to kids’ ministry when I was focused on a career in television and film production. I passed over a job posting for a children’s director at a local church, thinking I didn’t have the qualifications. Yes, I’d been volunteering with kids for my whole adult life, but I was certain that I didn’t have what it took to lead an entire program. Meanwhile, the pastor of that church happened to meet a friend of mine. As they talked, she asked my friend if he knew anyone who might fit their needs for a kids’ director. He gave her my info, which eventually led to a job interview and a position in ministry that is still a blessing twelve years later. Through that process, God led me step-by-step and made it clear that this was where He was planting me. But not once did I hear a proclamation from the heavens.

               If I were holding David’s pen and writing something like the 29th psalm, it might look a little like this:

Let’s reflect on God’s goodness.
Let’s worship Him and celebrate His glory!

I hear God’s voice in the water.
Sometimes He declares in the crash of rolling waves;
Other times He sings through a trickling creek.
When I feel His presence, He permeates my soul.

Somehow, He is bold in the quiet
And so powerful that He can’t be contained within me.
The voice of God commands it all.
I see His hand in the details,
From the expanse of the world to my solitary moments.

The voice of God is in the laughter of a child-
Pure joy, sweetness.
His voice is in the silence of grief
Shared by a loving friend.
I hear the Lord when I let everything else cease;
Only me and Him,
Simple prayer.

For God is beautiful
And He is real!
Beyond description in glorious splendor,
Yet here with us, always close-
Delighting in our worship,
Covering us in love.

               Until the day we audibly hear the thundering words of the Lord, we can listen for the still, small voice that Elijah heard in 1 Kings 19. We can slow down and put aside distractions so that we recognize the many ways God speaks to us daily, to hear what we so often miss in the chaos of daily life. Often, we think that God is not communicating with us at all while we are overlooking the various ways He’s reaching out to us. In Scripture, the encouragement of a friend, the presence of the Holy Spirit, or things that we might be tempted to describe as coincidence- may we find God there.

               What psalm would come from your heart today?