What Does the Voice of God Sound Like?

Ch 3 in Listening for Guidance: A Little Known but Life-Changing Spiritual Practice

May 31, 2024

If you’ve never tried Listening for Guidance, you may be wondering what the voice of God sounds like. The short answer is, it sounds like any other voice in your head…almost. Fortunately, there are some common clues that can help distinguish between divine guidance and our regular inner conversation.

Brunette woman on a bridge with eyes closed to the wind — Photo by Yick Chong Lam on pexels

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Here’s How the Voice of God Sounds

A number of authors will tell you the voice of God sounds like spontaneous flowing thoughts. That’s a good start. Let me see if I can put a finer point on it.

The voice I hear when I listen for guidance sounds pretty much like any of my other parts. You know, like the voice of my inner critic telling me I’m too fat, or the voice of my inner indulger telling me it’ll be okay if I have a piece of birthday cake (even though I’ve sworn off sugar and flour).

Except it’s not like those voices.

The voice of God sounds like a benevolent parent, teacher, mentor, friend. God gives me valid suggestions, things to consider, insights into situations. They recommend how to prioritize projects and relationships.

The Voice sounds like guidance, as in advice.

Also, the voice of God always sounds nice. Never nasty or snarky. Never whiny or coercive. Never judgmental.

Once in a while, very rarely, They will gently chide me for not doing something. Too long since I’ve sat to listen to the Voice and write what I hear in my journal. Too long since I called my sister. But said in a nice way.

Occasionally, God sounds like the King James Version of the Bible. For example, I’ll hear Be not afraid instead of Don’t be afraid.

And why not? Growing up in the 60s, everybody’s Bible sounded that same way. It’s what I was raised on. Or, They might paraphrase a scripture I have often heard. Like Ask and you shall receive. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. And, They’re quite repetitive. Be not afraid comes up a lot.

But God doesn’t teach me factual information. They never use a word outside my vocabulary. God never tells me the name of someone I don’t know. Words and names have to be in my brain already.

Every once in a while, I’ll hear a message for someone I know. It’s generally an encouraging message. It usually begins or ends with an expression of love. Tell so-and-so I love her.

The voice of God is a voice in my head like all the others, yet different, distinct, distinguishable.

Over time, I have learned to distinguish God’s voice from the chatter of my other “parts” even when I haven’t sat down to listen and transcribe in my journal. Maybe you’ve heard this voice. Maybe you just didn’t recognize the source. It takes practice.

How Others Describe the Voice of God

Mark and Patti Virkler, in their book How to Hear God's Voice: An Interactive Learning Experience (2006), list these qualities that characterize God’s thoughts:

They will be spontaneous, not cognitive or analytical…
God’s thoughts are expressed through our personalities and style of speech…
These thoughts come easily as God speaking in the first person.
They are often light and gentle, and easily cut off by any exertion of self (our own thoughts, will, etc.)…
They will have an unusual content to them, in that they will be wiser, more healing, more loving, and more motive-oriented than your thoughts.
They will cause a special reaction within you, such as a sense of excitement, conviction, faith, life, awe, or peace…
When embraced, they carry with them a fullness of strength to perform them, as well as a joy in doing so.

Julia Cameron expresses similar ideas in her book Living the Artist's Way: An Intuitive Path to Greater Creativity (2024):

As we ask to be guided, we experience a benevolent guiding force, tutoring us as we move forward. This force “speaks” to us in a wise and kindly tone...
As we write for guidance—and write out the guidance we receive—our words may surprise us. They form in our consciousness as though we are taking dictation. A syllable at a time, a word at a time, we are given wisdom. Someone—or something—writes through us. We take down the words we “hear” and are often astonished. There is a wisdom apparent that is not our own. We sense that guidance takes the long view where we—shortsighted—see the short.

Is It Live or Is It Memorex?

If you’re a Boomer, you’ll recognize this section heading as a line from a 1971 advertisement for audiocassette recording tape.

Of course, what I’m alluding to is yet another question you may be asking at this point: How can I know for sure if what I’m hearing is God’s voice and not just another part of my own ego?

Yep. Before you take that advice you just thought you heard God give you, better be sure it really was God.

Stay tuned. I’ll tackle this question next.