17 May, 2020 God, Is That Your Voice? How Do I Know?

by Lee Ann Mancini

God’s voice can be difficult to hear, but that does not mean He is silent.

“What do I do, Lord?” “Can you hear me, Lord?” “God, is that your voice?” “When will you answer me, Father?”

I’ve asked these questions at many points during my Christian walk. Certainly, my desire is always to follow the will of God. But sometimes when I am faced with a major decision, I struggle to identify how the Lord is leading me. I ask Him for an audible command or a clear sign regarding which way to proceed, but instead, all I’m met with is silence. Can you relate?

God’s Voice Throughout History

In the Old Testament, God led the Israelites through the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). He spoke directly to the heroes of our faith like Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses, giving them clear instructions as to His perfect will. They did not have to wonder what God’s will for them was.

But notice the fallen nature of humanity! Even when God spoke to these men directly, they did not always obey. God instructed Adam very clearly,

“You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

Yet Adam disobeyed.

When God told Moses that He had chosen him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses doubted God. He was reluctant to follow God’s instructions, saying,

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11 NIV).

Even Abraham, the father of our faith, proved disobedient to the Lord.  He put the covenant seed in jeopardy when he said concerning Sarah, “She is my sister” (Genesis 20:2). The patriarchs’ behavior demonstrates that even an audible command from God is not enough to ensure the obedience of His people.

Do You Hear His Voice?

How does God speak to you? When you hear Him, do you listen and obey? Or do you question His will? God still communicates with those He loves. He reveals Himself to us through the natural revelation of the world around us and through the special revelation of His Holy Word. He comes to us in dreams and visions. He speaks to us in times of joy and in times of sadness, such as the birth of a newborn baby or the death of a loved one.

Through all of this, He asks for only one thing:

“Will you follow my Son, and will you show His love to others?”

We are wise to remember, “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). No matter what happens in this lifetime, nothing is more important than following Jesus and guiding lost souls to Him. 

Listen

When we find ourselves in desperate times and we don’t even know how to pray we can call upon the Holy Spirit to pray for us.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27). 

Pray daily that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit. I like to say the following prayer every day: “Thank you, Holy Spirit, for dwelling within me. Let every thought I have, every word I speak, and every decision I make be according to your will and not my own.” 

Final Thoughts

In the busyness of this world, we need to be proactive about asking the Lord for guidance. We must trust that God will be faithful to show us His will in our lives—if we seek Him daily and choose to listen closely. Will you drown out the noisiness of the world so you can clearly hear him? Will you teach your children to do the same? I promise he will speak if you seek and ask!