Can you really hear the voice of God on a continual basis, and if so, what does He sound like? I had often pondered this question, growing up in a traditional Lutheran Church.
In the Book of Revelation, the voice of God sounds like "the voice of many waters" and is so MAJESTIC! How can I, a mere mortal, truly recognize Him?
The answer is that the "audible voice" of God is actually rare, and is the least common of all 21 "Ways" to recognize God's multi-faceted voice.
The truth: the "still, small voice" or the Inner Voice of the Holy Spirit is far more common than most of us realize, and you can begin to recognize Him more and more.
So the answer? What does the voice of God sound like? Well, on this side of the Cross and resurrection, on this side of the Day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit WITHIN men and women, the answer is simple:
HE SOUNDS LIKE YOU!
Like ME, you say?
YES!
Here is a simple definition of the "Inner Voice":
An inaudible voice, originating in your sanctified inner spirit. It flows out through your mind as either a "thought" or a "flood of thoughts." NOTE: it is usually short, to the point, powerful, and sometimes comes as a question, which God expects you to ponder and answer Him.
Here's a favorite verse from the Old Testament that we can translate in fresh and new understanding in the New Testament,
"And you shall hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it" whenever you turn to the right or to the left" (Isaiah 30:21).
The New Testament translation would be, "You shall hear a voice INSIDE of you" or, "you shall think a thought in your mind that shall direct you."
That's right! So simple! Let me close with a personal story from when our firstborn son, Ethan, was just under 2 years old.
My wife and I were arriving in Wisconsin for a couple of days in a cottage by the lake. It was a hot summer's day and I was planning to leave the back car windows open to air things out after a long journey.
As I was unloading the car, quite suddenly and quite naturally, I had a flash thought in my mind, (almost like a still, small voice),
"Carl, you want to shut that window."
The LORD was referring to the rear window next to the baby car seat for my son. I quickly shrugged off that "voice" and dismissed the gentle Holy Spirit, leaving the car window wide open.
Why would God, who rules the Universe, be speaking to me about something so seemingly insignificant as a rear car window anyway?
Well, to my surprise, when I came back out to the car the next morning, that back seat was full of rain water. An "unexpected" thunder storm had erupted early in the morning, pouring rain into the car.
I had to set my baby boy into the wet car seat, causing him to cry all the way to the restaurant we were going. I changed his diaper upon arrival, but I could have saved him that uncomfortable ride in a wet seat, IF I HAD LISTENED TO GOD!
"Carl, are you trying to tell me that God actually foresaw the rain and was intimately speaking to you ahead of time out of personal concern for your son's diaper condition the next morning, and asked you gently to shut the window?"
Yes. Yes I am!
So, perhaps even today, when you have a "flash thought" almost like a "still, small voice" in your mind, speaking to you a word of direction, insight, encouragement, or love, it could very well be God.
What DOES the voice of God sound like?
He sounds like you!
***An excerpt from Chapter 4, Way #4 of my book,
"LOVE SPEAKS: 21 WAYS TO RECOGNIZE GOD'S MULTI-FACETED VOICE"