Bible – The Bible Society of Lesotho

Hearing the voice of God is a central theme throughout Scripture. From the gentle whisper to the thunderous proclamation, God’s voice guides, comforts, and instructs His people. Understanding how to hear His voice is crucial for anyone seeking to follow His will. Here are seven Bible verses that highlight the importance of hearing and recognizing God’s voice.

1. John 10:27 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Jesus uses the metaphor of sheep and a shepherd to describe the relationship between Himself and His followers. Just as sheep recognize and respond to the voice of their shepherd, believers are called to recognize and follow the voice of Jesus. Hearing God’s voice is not just about recognition, but also about obedience. When we truly hear Him, we follow where He leads.

2. 1 Kings 19:11-12 – “And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.”

God’s voice is not always found in the loud and dramatic. Instead, He often speaks in a “low whisper” or “still small voice.” Be still and quiet your hearts, creating space to hear the subtle yet profound voice of God. It teaches us that God often communicates in ways that require us to listen carefully and attentively.

3. Isaiah 30:21 – “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”

God provides guidance, even in the midst of uncertainty. As we navigate life’s decisions, God’s voice directs us, showing us the right path. This promise of divine guidance encourages us to trust that God will speak to us when we need direction, leading us on the path He has set before us.

4. Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

In the busyness and noise of life, it can be challenging to discern God’s voice. However, by intentionally being still and acknowledging His sovereignty, we create an environment where we are more likely to hear Him speak. Stillness allows us to focus on God and tune in to His voice.

5. Hebrews 3:7-8 – “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness.’”

Hearing God’s voice requires not only listening but also being willing to act on what we hear. A hardened heart can prevent us from fully receiving God’s message and guidance. This verse calls us to be open and responsive to the Holy Spirit’s promptings.

6. Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

We are encouraged to seek God actively, knowing that He desires to reveal deep and profound truths to us. It emphasizes the relational aspect of hearing God’s voice, where we engage in dialogue with Him, confident that He will respond.

7. Revelation 3:20 – “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Jesus stands at the door of our hearts, knocking and speaking. The invitation is clear: if we hear His voice and open the door, He will come in and fellowship with us. This verse highlights the personal and relational aspect of God’s communication, emphasizing that hearing His voice leads to deeper communion with Him.

Conclusion

Hearing the voice of God is a profound and essential part of the Christian life. These verses remind us that God speaks in various ways—sometimes in a whisper, sometimes in guidance, and always with a heart of love. To hear His voice, we must cultivate stillness, maintain a receptive heart, and be willing to respond in faith. As we do, we draw closer to God, following His lead and growing in our relationship with Him.

Sin and Shame

1 The Lord said to the people of Israel:

If a divorced woman marries,

can her first husband

ever marry her again?

No, because this

would pollute the land.

But you have more gods

than a prostitute has lovers.

Why should I take you back?

2 Just try to find one hilltop

where you haven't gone

to worship other gods

by having sex.

You sat beside the road

like a robber in ambush,

except you offered yourself

to every passerby.

Your sins of unfaithfulness

have polluted the land.

3 So I, the Lord, refused

to let the spring rains fall.

But just like a prostitute,

you still have no shame

for what you have done.

4 You call me your father

or your long-lost friend;

5 you beg me to stop being angry,

but you won't stop sinning.

The Lord Asks Israel To Come Back to Him

6 When Josiah was king, the Lord said:

Jeremiah, the kingdom of Israel was like an unfaithful wife who became a prostitute on the hilltops and in the shade of large trees. 7-8 I knew that the kingdom of Israel had been unfaithful and committed many sins, yet I still hoped she might come back to me. But she didn't, so I divorced her and sent her away.

Her sister, the kingdom of Judah, saw what happened, but she wasn't worried in the least, and I watched her become unfaithful like her sister. 9 The kingdom of Judah wasn't sorry for being a prostitute, and she didn't care that she had made both herself and the land unclean by worshiping idols of stone and wood. 10 And worst of all, the people of Judah pretended to come back to me. 11 Even the people of Israel were honest enough not to pretend.

12 Jeremiah, shout toward the north:

Israel, I am your Lord—

come back to me!

You were unfaithful

and made me furious,

but I am merciful,

and so I will forgive you.

13 Just admit that you rebelled

and worshiped foreign gods

under large trees everywhere.

14 You are unfaithful children,

but you belong to me.

Come home!

I'll take one or two of you

from each town and clan

and bring you to Zion.

15 Then I'll appoint wise rulers

who will obey me,

and they will care for you

like shepherds.

16 You will increase in numbers,

and there will be no need

to remember the sacred chest

or to make a new one.

17 The whole city of Jerusalem

will be my throne.

All nations will come here

to worship me,

and they will no longer follow

their stubborn, evil hearts.

18 Then, in countries to the north,

you people of Judah and Israel

will be reunited,

and you will return to the land

I gave your ancestors.

19 I have always wanted

to treat you as my children

and give you the best land,

the most beautiful on earth.

I wanted you to call me “Father”

and not turn from me.

20 But instead, you are like a wife

who broke her wedding vows.

You have been unfaithful to me.

I, the Lord, have spoken.

The People Confess Their Sins

The Lord said:

21 Listen to the noise

on the hilltops!

It's the people of Israel,

weeping and begging me

to answer their prayers.

They forgot about me

and chose the wrong path.

22 I will tell them, “Come back,

and I will cure you

of your unfaithfulness.”

They will answer,

“We will come back, because you

are the Lord our God.

23 On hilltops, we worshiped idols

and made loud noises,

but it was all for nothing—

only you can save us.

24 Since the days of our ancestors

when our nation was young,

that shameful god Baal has taken

our crops and livestock,

our sons and daughters.

25 We have rebelled against you

just like our ancestors,

and we are ashamed of our sins.”

1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she goe from him, and become another mans, shall hee returne againe vnto her? shall not this land be polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many louers: yet turne againe to mee, sayeth the Lord. 2 Lift vp thine eyes vnto the hie places, and beholde, where thou hast not plaied the harlot: thou hast sit waiting for them in the waies, as the Arabian in the wildernesse: and thou hast polluted the lande with thy whoredomes, and with thy malice. 3 Therefore the showres haue beene restrained, and the latter raine came not, and thou haddest a whores forehead: thou wouldest not bee ashamed. 4 Diddest thou not stil crie vnto me, Thou art my father, and the guide of my youth? 5 Wil he keepe his anger for euer? will he reserue it to the ende? thus hast thou spoken, but thou doest euill, euen more and more. 6 The Lord saide also vnto me, in the daies of Iosiah the King, Hast thou seene what this rebell Israel hath done? for she hath gone vp vpon euery high mountaine, and vnder euery greene tree, and there plaied the harlot. 7 And I sayde, when shee had done all this, Turne thou vnto me: but she returned not, as her rebellious sister Iudah sawe. 8 When I sawe, howe that by all occasions rebellious Israel had plaied the harlot, I cast her away, and gaue her a bill of diuorcement: yet her rebellious sister Iudah was not afraied, but shee went also, and plaied the harlot. 9 So that for the lightnesse of her whoredome shee hath euen defiled the lande: for shee hath committed fornication with stones and stockes. 10 Neuerthelesse for all this, her rebellious sister Iudah hath not returned vnto mee with her whole heart, but fainedly, sayth the Lord. 11 And the Lord said vnto me, The rebellious Israel hath iustified her selfe more then the rebellious Iudah. 12 Goe and crie these woordes towarde the North and say, Thou disobedient Israel, returne, sayeth the Lord, and I will not let my wrath fall vpon you: for I am mercifull, sayeth the Lord, and I will not alway keepe mine anger. 13 But knowe thine iniquitie: for thou hast rebelled against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy waies to the straunge gods vnder euery greene tree, but yee woulde not obey my voyce, sayeth the Lord. 14 O yee disobedient children, turne againe, sayeth the Lord, for I am your Lord, and I will take you one of a citie, and two of a tribe and wil bring you to Zion, 15 And I will giue you pastours according to mine heart, which shall feede you with knowledge and vnderstanding. 16 Moreouer, when yee be increased and multiplied in the land, in those daies, saieth the Lord, they shall say no more, The Arke of the couenant of the Lord: for it shall come no more to minde, neither shall they remember it, neither shall they visite it, for that shalbe no more done. 17 At that time they shall cal Ierusalem, The throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered vnto it, euen to the Name of the Lord in Ierusalem: and thence foorth they shall follow no more the hardnesse of their wicked heart. 18 In those daies ye house of Iudah shall walke with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the lande of the North, into the lande, that I haue giuen for an inheritance vnto your fathers. 19 But I sayde, Howe did I take thee for children and giue thee a pleasant lande, euen the glorious heritage of the armies of the heathen, and saide, Thou shalt call mee, saying, My father, and shalt not turne from me? 20 But as a woman rebelleth against her husband: so haue yee rebelled against me, O house of Israel, sayeth the Lord. 21 A voice was heard vpon the hie places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they haue peruerted their way, and forgotten the Lord their God. 22 O yee disobedient children, returne and I wil heale your rebellions. Behold, we come vnto thee, for thou art the Lord our God. 23 Truely the hope of the hilles is but vaine, nor the multitude of mountaines: but in the Lord our God is the health of Israel. 24 For confusion hath deuoured our fathers labour, from our youth their sheepe and their bullocks, their sonnes and their daughters. 25 Wee lie downe in our confusion, and our shame couereth vs: for we haue sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers from our youth, euen vnto this day, and haue not obeyed the voyce of the Lord our God.