from Carole Hicks

We can read in the Bible numerous times of people hearing the voice of the Lord. As a matter of fact, throughout the Bible it says plainly, “And the Lord said … “ or “This is what the Lord said …”

I read over those passages throughout my life taking it for granted that people actually, “literally” heard the Lord. I’d never really heard Him speak … and I guess I just thought it was something that happened “figuratively speaking” or maybe in their imagination. (ohhh, that didn’t sound good, did it?)

But honestly, when people say to you these days, “God told me …” or “The Lord said to me …” — though we have listened with all intent sincerity, is there just a smidgen of doubt in your mind that the Lord God Almighty would actually “speak” to someone???

But over the course of my “redeemed” life, I have heard folks say that “God said,” something to them, and I’ve heard others say that “God impressed upon them,” and I did believe that God could and would talk to some people … but since I’d never literally heard his voice, I could not say that He’d said anything to me.

But here’s the ticket! I think I was expecting God to have this thunderous voice when He spoke.

From Psalm 29, we even read,

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters; …

The voice of the Lord is powerful …

The voice of the Lord is majestic …

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars …

The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning …

The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forest bare.”

THAT’S A MIGHTY AWESOME VOICE!!!

I’d say when He does speak … people would have to listen, right?

But … I’d never heard such … and surely, if I did hear something of that magnitude, I would remember, take notice … be awestruck! So, with that knowledge of God’s voice, I just figured that He didn’t have anything to say to me.

But let me share with you a little story (true) that helped me understand something incredible about the voice of the Lord.

Several years ago, when Jack was about three or four years old, we had just moved into our house on Fore Drive, and a terrible thunderstorm was happening about 10:30 at night. Jack was lying in bed with me and I was snuggled up really close to him. The thunder and the lightning were striking outside and we lay there and watched and listened. Then he asked me if it was true that the “thunder was God being mad at us.” We got into a discussion about that … among other things, like the thing about counting between the thunder clashes to recognize that the storm was passing … and other things. Then I noticed that our whole conversation was being conducted in a whisper. We didn’t have to whisper … there was no one around to listen and certainly no one else in the house that we might wake up.

And suddenly, it was like God pointing out to me that when you are close enough that a whisper is all that’s required, He doesn’t need to use His “outside, thunderous voice.” Hmmm?

Now, I can’t say that the reason the psalmist said God’s voice was thunderous, majestic and so powerful it could rip and twist trees is because he was not close enough or intimate with God. He could have been speaking metaphorically to make the point that what God has to say is OBVIOUS if you will pay attention. I just don’t know.

But this I do know … I have heard the voice of the Lord in my life. I have heard it in an intimate “pssst… Carole … listen up.” And I have heard it with a “HEY GIRL! You’d better listen up now!”  It’s been calming, comforting and reassuring … and powerful, majestic and awesome at the same time.

Can I describe the voice of the Lord with exact description? Actually, no. (and you know, wordsmith that I am … I should be able to do that) Some have said, “well, when God speaks it’s not actually audible.” WELLLLLLLllllll … I would beg to differ on that too.  I heard Him.  I heard His Voice … and I’ll never, ever forget it … each and every time.

I do think that God speaks … actually, I know God speaks. And He speaks in a variety of ways. Just like He spoke to Moses through a burning bush … and then even through a donkey at another point in the Bible … I reckon He can use just about anything He wants to get the message across to us. (And we have His Love Letter written directly to us in His Word, The Bible)

But I promise, I love to hear Him speak to me … especially when I am as close to Him as Jack and I were while watching that storm pass years ago. What a wonderful intimate moment it is to hear Your Maker and Creator whisper in your ear. My prayer is that you seek that very experience with Him as soon and as often as you can.