Have you ever tried tuning an old radio? Not the digital kind where you just push a button—but the kind with the turning dial. You move it carefully, trying to land on the right frequency, and all around it is white noise—static, fuzzy sounds, and sometimes you accidentally pick up another station speaking a different language or playing a completely different song. But somewhere in there, your station is broadcasting. You just have to find it.
From the beginning, God has been speaking to his people. In the Bible, we hear God’s voice echoing through burning bushes, angelic visitations, dreams, visions, prophets, and even whispers. To Moses, God gave direction. To Elijah, a gentle word of reassurance. To Jonah, correction. To Mary, a message of courage and favor. Whether He spoke through fire, cloud, or silence, God’s voice always had a purpose—to guide, encourage, and form his people. And the same is true today. God still speaks, and his voice still brings life.
That’s what listening to God is like. His voice is constant, like a signal already in the airwaves. But we live in a world filled with so much noise—social media, news, internal anxiety, criticism from others, even our own self-doubt. Sometimes, those voices get louder than the one voice we most need to hear: the voice of our Shepherd. And just like with the old radio, learning to listen isn’t about pushing a button—it is about patience, practice, and presence.
Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” This beautiful image of the Shepherd and his sheep gives us both reassurance and challenge. Sheep learn to recognize the voice of their shepherd not by studying it but by staying close to it, hearing it again and again in everyday life. It becomes familiar, trusted, and comforting. Jesus is saying that those who belong to him will come to know his voice in the same way.
This verse also tells us something essential about God: that he is not far off. He is not trying to play hide-and-seek with your soul. He knows you. He speaks to you. And if you have put your trust in him, then his voice is already within you.
That’s an important truth. To listen to God is not always about gathering more information. Yes, reading Scripture matters. Yes, study and learning are good and necessary. But often, God’s voice comes not from outside us, but from within us—from the faith already planted in our hearts, from the Spirit already at work in our lives. Listening to God is less about acquiring something new and more about allowing what God has already placed within you to rise up and speak. God is already with you. You don’t need to chase God down. You just need to tune in.
And how do we it is God’s voice we are hearing? How do we tune in? That’s the question that always follows, isn’t it? How do we discern God’s frequency from all the others?
God’s voice does not come with fear. It doesn’t crush you under anxiety or guilt. Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” When God speaks, even when he corrects, it is with a love that lifts and restores, not a fear that paralyzes.
God’s voice brings peace, not chaos. It doesn’t add confusion—it brings clarity. God doesn’t throw your life into disorder; he brings order and meaning to it. God isn’t the author of panic but of peace. If your heart is troubled and noisy, sometimes the first thing to do isn’t to ask for more words but to quiet the room so you can hear what God’s already saying.
God’s voice softens. It doesn’t harden your heart or make you bitter. It makes you more compassionate, more forgiving, more open to mercy. When God speaks, you begin to feel again—you begin to care again. It awakens something gentle and good in you.
And you will know it is God’s voice because it will always, always lead you to do good, not harm. It leads you toward love, not away from it. It leads you to repair, not destroy. It makes you want to serve and heal and give—never to take revenge or shut down.
But here is something else: when God speaks, he never leaves us where we are. God calls us forward. God desires transformation—not just spiritually, but emotionally, mentally, and even physically. God wants our hearts to be whole, our minds to be renewed, our relationships to be restored, our bodies to be honored. God calls us not just to believe but to become. And we become by tuning in.
So many of us keep waiting for a dramatic moment—a booming voice, a flash of insight, a prophetic dream. But more often than not, God whispers. He whispers through Scripture. He whispers through the Spirit within you. He whispers through wise friends, quiet moments, holy discomforts, and moments of peace you didn’t expect. God’s already speaking. God’s already there.
This means that listening to God doesn’t always require more knowledge—it requires more trust. More stillness. More surrender. The Shepherd’s voice is near. And if you belong to him, then that voice is yours to hear.
So how do we actually tune in to God’s voice? It is not always about sitting alone in prayer waiting for some dramatic word or mystical moment. Yes, we do hear God in the quiet places—when we pause, breathe, and let our thoughts settle. In those personal moments of prayer, we must be careful to clear our minds, not just of distractions, but of assumptions. Because one of the easiest mistakes we can make is confusing our own voice with God’s. Sometimes what we want so badly echoes back to us in prayer, and we mistake that echo for God’s direction. But listening to God means entering into prayer with a blank slate—open to being surprised, challenged, and changed.
Yet listening isn’t only something that happens in silence. Often, we begin to hear God’s voice most clearly when we start doing what we already know God wants us to do. When we forgive. When we serve. When we help someone who is struggling. When we act with compassion, humility, and justice. These are not just good works—they are ways of listening. You may find that God speaks to you not just after you pray but as you serve. The confirmation you have been looking for may not come while waiting for a sign but while living out your faith.
So today, I invite you to tune in. Make time to pray with a quiet heart and a clear mind. Step forward to serve even when the path isn’t completely clear. Seek God’s voice in Scripture, in worship, in the wisdom of others—and in the stillness within you. Don’t be afraid of silence. Don’t be afraid of obedience either. Because the Shepherd is calling, and his voice will always lead you closer to peace, closer to purpose, and closer to him.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
God knows you and is speaking to you. Tune in.
Closing Prayer: Lord, your voice is always near, yet we confess how easily we get caught up in the noise. Still our hearts. Help us to recognize the frequency of your Spirit within us. Let the faith you have already planted speak louder than fear, doubt, or distraction. May your voice soften us, bring peace, stir goodness, and call us to grow. We are listening, Lord. Help us to tune in. Amen.
