How to Hear God’s Voice (And Know It’s Really Him)

How to Hear God’s Voice: Can You Really Do It?

Quick question: how many spam calls did you get this week? If you’re like most people, it’s probably daily. A complete stranger with an offer you never asked for can get through to your phone, grab your attention, and have you thinking about your car’s extended warranty before you even say hello. So why does it feel so hard to figure out how to hear God’s voice?

And yet I talk to people all the time who tell me they’ve never once heard from the God who made them. Can I tell you something? That doesn’t add up. A God who created the universe and knows you by name is not less capable than a telemarketer. If you’ve ever wondered how to hear God’s voice, or whether that nudge was really Him or just your own thoughts, this is for you. The good news is that you can hear Him, and you can learn to recognize Him when He speaks.

A lot of people picture God as far off and distant, a God who set things in motion and then stepped away to let whatever happens happen. That’s called deism, and it is not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is always reaching out to speak to us. He called out to Adam in the garden. He told Noah to build an ark. He spoke to Moses from a burning bush and to Elijah in a still small voice. He told Jeremiah that He knew him before he was ever formed.

And now, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe” (Hebrews 1:1-2, New International Version). Not only that, God has given us His Holy Spirit, so He can live inside us and speak to us. That’s why how to hear God’s voice isn’t a mystery reserved for a few people.

How to Hear God’s Voice When It Feels Like He’s Silent

Some of you are tired of wondering. You pray, and you get nothing back. You sit in traffic on Olive Blvd, you stare at the ceiling at 2 a.m., you ask for direction, and the silence feels loud. It’s easy to conclude that God is far away, that He wound the world up like a clock and walked off. But the Bible describes a time when it felt exactly that way. The book of 1 Samuel opens by saying, “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions” (1 Samuel 3:1, New International Version).

Here’s the deal: the word of the Lord wasn’t rare because God had stopped speaking. It was rare because no one was listening. Right before this, the book of Judges describes a people who were each doing what was right in their own eyes. They weren’t looking for God’s way. They weren’t hoping He would give them direction, because He might tell them to do something they didn’t want to do.

Our culture sounds a lot like that. “Follow your heart.” “You do you.” “You have your truth and I have my truth.” But the Bible never tells you to follow your heart. It warns that the heart is deceitful, and it tells us to keep in step with the Spirit instead. If you want to hear what God is saying to you, you have to start listening to the right voice.

And let’s be honest: most of us have a Bible app right on our phones, and we’re never in it. We open TikTok or Instagram instead. God’s Word has never been more accessible, yet we don’t have a silent God, we have a distracted church.

What Samuel Teaches Us About How to Hear God’s Voice

In 1 Samuel 3, God calls out to a young boy named Samuel in the middle of the night. Samuel hears the voice, assumes it’s his mentor Eli, and runs to him. This happens three times. Then the Bible tells us something surprising: “Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him” (1 Samuel 3:7, New International Version).

Samuel had been serving in the temple, sleeping near the ark of God, and he still didn’t know the Lord yet. Eli’s eyes had grown so weak that he could barely see, so Samuel may well have spent his nights fetching Eli’s glasses and slippers. Do you ever feel like that? Work feels mundane, you’re going through the motions, and you can’t figure out why you’re even doing it.

Here’s the encouraging part: God’s voice can interrupt your daily grind. He can speak to you in a meeting, on the school pickup line, or while you’re folding laundry. God didn’t wait to give Samuel a promotion before giving him a revelation, and He can meet you right where you are.

But do you recognize Him when He speaks? Samuel didn’t. It sounded familiar, so he ran to a person. It’s easier to run to a man than to run to God. When God speaks about starting something or mending something, where do you run? To Instagram? To AI? To your friends? And when we fail to recognize God’s voice, we can call it something it’s not. You think it’s anxiety, but God is calling you to step out on the water. You think it’s a coincidence, but God opened that door to guide your steps.

Hearing God isn’t a gift you’re missing. It’s a skill you haven’t practiced. Jesus said His sheep know His voice: “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:3-4, New International Version).

So what does His voice look like? Some people say they’ve heard the audible voice of God, but for most of us it takes other forms: a subtle prompting, a still small voice, a persistent conviction. It can come through signs, visions, dreams, sermons, songs, and open or closed doors. But it will always agree with the Word of God. God will never tell you to do something that goes against His Word.

How to Hear God’s Voice Better: 3 Simple Steps

So how do you actually put this into practice? Here’s how to hear God’s voice better, starting with three simple habits.

1. How to hear God’s voice: ask Him to speak, and then listen

When Eli realized the Lord was calling Samuel, he gave him simple instructions: “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’” (1 Samuel 3:9, New International Version). Ask, then listen. God makes this promise: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3, New International Version).

One of the biggest reasons we don’t hear God isn’t spiritual warfare, and it isn’t that God has left. It’s hurry. We live in the richest nation in the world, yet we are time poor, and hurry hampers the voice of God. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus slips away from the crowds to be alone. God spoke to John when he was alone on the island of Patmos, and to Elijah when he was alone on the mountain. You have to make time to slow down and get away so God can speak.

Have you ever wondered why God whispers? Because a whisper makes you get close in order to hear it. God isn’t only interested in what you can do for Him. He’s interested in you. That’s why He rarely gives you the whole journey. He gives you steps, because He wants you to stay close. Talking with God isn’t meant to be transactional. It’s meant to be relational. If all my conversations with my wife, Laura, were only about what I need her to do or what she needs me to do, that wouldn’t be loving.

Try this today to practice how to hear God’s voice: set a timer for five minutes, put your phone in another room, and pray, “Speak, Lord, I’m listening.” Then be quiet. Write down whatever comes to mind, and test it against what Scripture says.

And if you’re worried you missed Him, remember that God called Samuel four times. God knows how to get through to His children. Thank God He is the God of the fourth call, and that He doesn’t stop at call number one.

2. How to hear God’s voice: do what He told you to do

Here’s something I’ve noticed in my own life and in the lives of the people I pastor. When we stop hearing God, it’s often because we didn’t obey the last thing He said. He’s waiting for us to take that step before He gives us the next one. This is especially clear with conviction, that prompting that you shouldn’t do something you’re about to do. You can tune it out, but each time, the voice of the Holy Spirit will feel quieter. The scariest place to be is where you sin and feel nothing.

If you feel like you’re not hearing Him, go back and do the last thing He told you to do. Forgive the person He told you to forgive. Invite the person He told you to invite to church. Tell the person about Jesus that He’s been pressing on your heart. Sign up to serve where He told you to serve. Leave your sin at the altar and go after Him, and you’ll begin to hear His voice again.

Think of a musician wearing in-ear monitors. Through them, the band can hear someone calling out changes while they play. A musician who takes them out can know the song perfectly and still keep playing loud when everyone else drops out, because they missed the voice telling them where to go next. We can do the same with God. We hear Him, run with it, and miss His voice telling us to give someone a Bible verse today, to be generous to the person in front of us, or to tell someone about Jesus.

3. How to hear God’s voice: learn to tell His voice from the enemy’s

Part of learning how to hear God’s voice is recognizing it. When God speaks correction, it comes as conviction, not condemnation. The voice of the enemy says that you’re not enough, that you’re too far gone, that not even God wants you. That leaves you too ashamed to come to Him. God’s voice is different: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1, New International Version).

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Romans 8:15, New International Version). That doesn’t mean God will never correct or discipline you. He will. But His correction draws you closer. Choose to believe who God says you are.

What If You’ve Never Heard Him at All?

Maybe you read all of this and thought, “I’ve never felt any of that.” If that’s you, can I gently say something? It may be that you’ve been doing religion without ever knowing Jesus personally. Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20, New International Version).

God wants to speak to you, and learning how to hear God’s voice starts by letting Him in. If you know He has been calling your name and you’ve been going down roads you shouldn’t, you can give your life to Jesus today and ask Him to be both your Savior and your Lord. If you do, we would love to celebrate with you.

A Note From Me

If you’re in a season where heaven feels quiet, I want you to hear this: He hasn’t stopped calling. Maybe you ignored Him in college. Maybe you ran from Him for years. He didn’t delete your number. He is the God of the fourth call, and He is just waiting for you to answer: “Here I am. Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Come Hear From Him With Us in Creve Coeur

You don’t have to figure out how to hear God’s voice alone. At Revelation Church STL, we are a Spirit-filled, Bible-based church where you belong, no matter where you are in your faith. We meet Sundays at 9:45 AM at B&B Theatres Creve Coeur, 12657 Olive Blvd. Come as you are, bring a friend, and we’ll save you a seat at the table. Services last about an hour, and there’s a safe, fun experience for kids (12 months through 5th grade).

Plan Your Visit and let us know you’re coming. Want to go deeper? Check out Rooted, our 10-week group, or take our free survey and video course at Discipleship 360.

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