Did I Miss His Voice?

Have you ever wished you could actually hear God?

Not just feel His presence or read His Word, but truly hear Him say, “Be patient.” “I have a plan.” “You’re not alone.” “I’m working everything together for your good.”

I know I have.

Recently, I was having a conversation with someone very special to me. As we talked about all the things I’ve been walking through over the past few years, I admitted something that had been weighing on my heart.

“I just want to hear God.”

I wanted Him to speak clearly. To remove all doubt. To tell me exactly what He is doing in this season of waiting, healing, and uncertainty.

She smiled.

Then she asked a simple question that stopped me in my tracks.

“Are you sure you’re not hearing Him?”

I looked at her, a little confused.

She continued, “Sometimes it’s your own voice. Sometimes it isn’t actual words. God speaks in many different ways.”

I had never really thought about it like that.

Maybe I had been waiting for an audible voice while completely overlooking the quieter ways He was already speaking.

Then she recommended a book by Priscilla Shirer called Discerning the Voice of God.

Before our conversation was even over, I had pulled it up on my phone and ordered it.

I’m only at the beginning, but already the book is helping me understand something I’ve struggled with for a long time. It’s opening my eyes to how God communicates—not just through dramatic moments, but through Scripture, the Holy Spirit, wise counsel, circumstances, and those gentle nudges that are so easy to dismiss.

And then…God gave me an example.

The very next day, I drove to Millville, Delaware, for a book signing with Amy Rice (Welsh). I just became familiar with Amy through church but truly admire the way she has chosen obedience over comfort, trusting God’s direction for her life. My wonderful friends invited me and it was such a nice gathering.

She was offering a bundle that included both her book – and a Bible study workbook, so I purchased them.

When I reached the table, I handed Amy the hardback book to sign. The workbook stayed tucked under my arm.

She signed my book with the words:

“He is the Author of your story.”

What a beautiful reminder.

Later, after I returned to my seat, my friend asked, “What did Amy write in your workbook?”

I looked at her a little puzzled.

“I didn’t have her sign the workbook.”

She smiled and said, “No… she wrote in every workbook before we all arrived.”

I immediately opened it to the first page.

There, in Amy’s handwriting, were these words:

“Don’t quit before the breakthrough.”

I just sat there.

Chills.

Tears.

Goosebumps.

Those weren’t the words I expected to read that day.

But they were exactly the words my heart needed.

Could it have been coincidence?

Maybe.

Or…

Maybe it was exactly what Priscilla Shirer is talking about.

Maybe God was reminding me that He often speaks through people, through His Word, through encouragement, through books, through conversations, and through perfectly timed moments that only He could orchestrate.

I had been asking God to speak.

Perhaps He already had.

Now I’m reading differently.

I’m listening differently.

I’m paying attention to the little nudges, the unexpected encouragement, the verses that seem to leap off the page, and the conversations that linger in my heart long after they’ve ended.

Maybe hearing God isn’t always about an audible voice.

Maybe it’s about having a heart that is willing to recognize His.

A Question for You

Have you ever experienced a moment when you realized God had been speaking to you all along?

Maybe through a person.

A sermon.

A song.

A verse.

A book.

Or even a handwritten sentence that arrived exactly when you needed it.

I’d love for you to share your story in the comments. Sometimes hearing how God speaks in someone else’s life helps us recognize His voice in our own.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'” — Isaiah 30:21