Introduction
We live in a world where the influence of the spiritual realm cannot be ignored. With the increasing number of prophets and seers claiming to hear God’s voice, the risk of encountering familiar spirits is high. This makes it critical to distinguish the true voice of God and receive His divine direction. In a world filled with countless voices, clearly hearing God’s instruction is essential. A satisfying and purposeful life hinges on the ability to hear God. His voice provides solutions to many of life’s challenges, including delays, stagnation, and spiritual attacks. Whether it’s a long-awaited promotion, a career change, a new phase in ministry, or physical healing, the answers often lie in hearing God’s ‘still small voice’. This phrase, familiar to Christians, emphasizes the importance of discernment. Many are prayerfully seeking to recognize this voice, which is key to guidance and direction in life. Your next breakthrough, marriage, ministry advancement, or destiny fulfillment depends on hearing God clearly. Understanding the expressions of His voice and their implications in the spiritual realm is crucial to this process.
The Expressions of the Voice of God
Before discerning the voice of God, it is essential to first understand its expressions. Psalms 29:3-9 describes the attributes of God’s voice, which manifests in forms such as many waters, thunder, lightning, earthquake, wind, and fire. These elements bear witness to God’s voice.
In the Old Testament, prophets and men of God experienced these expressions physically. However, in the New Testament, these manifestations are symbolic, representing spiritual experiences. Each expression corresponds to a language in the spirit realm, especially during prayer when we seek to hear God’s voice. Specific spiritual states—such as the fear of God, travail, groanings, brokenness, and stillness—serve as precursors to hearing His still small voice.
Many Waters
Psalms 29:3 states, “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.” God’s voice is compared to the sound of thunder over rushing waters. Similarly, Ezekiel 43:2 describes His voice as “like the sound of many waters,” and Revelation 14:2 echoes this with, “I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters and great thunder.” These descriptions liken the voice of God to a powerful waterfall, symbolizing His majesty and authority.
Thunder
In Psalms 29:3, David further reveals that the “God of glory thunders.” Thunder is an expression of God’s voice, as illustrated in John 12:28-29, where a crowd heard thunder when God spoke, saying, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” On this occasion, some interpreted the sound as thunder, while others believed an angel had spoken. This highlights that while people may hear the sound of a thunder, they might not understand the words unless spiritually attuned.
Lightning and Fire
The voice of God often combines thunder with lightning. Where there is lightning, there is often an occurrence of fire. Thus, lightning represents fire, as seen in Ezekiel 1:4, where the prophet describes flashing lightning surrounded by brilliant light—a fire enfolding itself. Hence, within the lightning or cloud, fire is expressed, manifesting as light within a blazing flame. Psalms 29:7 declares, “The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire.”
In the Old Testament, God frequently revealed Himself through fire. For instance, He appeared as a consuming fire on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:17) and used fire to demonstrate His glory and judgment. Psalms 97:3 affirms that “fire goes before Him and consumes His foes.” Similarly, Isaiah 30:27-30 describes God’s tongue as a consuming fire, representing His judgment upon wickedness, as seen during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-25). Fire signifies God’s power, judgment, and purifying presence before He speaks.
Earthquake
Psalms 97:4-5 reveals that when God speaks, “The earth sees and trembles; the mountains melt like wax before the LORD.” His voice triggers thunder, lightning, and earthquakes, shaking the earth. Psalms 29:8-9 describes how His voice “shakes the desert, twists the oaks, and strips the forests bare.”
This shaking symbolizes travail, as explained in Romans 8:22, where Paul writes that “the whole creation groans and travails in pain.” This imagery ties back to Isaiah 66:8, which likens the earth’s groaning to labor pains, a precursor to birthing something significant – “for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.” Jesus further connects earthquakes to divine activity in Matthew 24:7, associating them with the beginnings of great moves of God.
Wind
The voice of God is also likened to wind. Psalms 29:4-5 declares that His voice is “powerful and majestic, breaking in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.” This wind manifests as a mighty force, like a whirlwind or storm. In Job 38:1, God speaks to Job “out of the whirlwind,” while Ezekiel 1:4 describes a great storm accompanied by fire.
Wind also represents God’s wrath, as seen in Jeremiah 23:19, which speaks of “a whirlwind of the LORD” poured out in fury upon the wicked. Beyond wrath, wind symbolizes the breath of God, akin to the movement of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 30:28 likens His breath to “a rushing torrent,” and Zechariah 4:6 reminds us, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.” The Spirit of God is the breath of the Almighty. In the New Testament, the wind signifies the Spirit of God, who empowers and resides within believers.
The Still Small Voice in 1 Kings 19:12
In the Bible, Elijah encountered the still small voice of God as described in 1 Kings 19:9-12. This passage outlines the expressions of God’s voice that occurred before the still small voice was heard:
Verse 11:
“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake.”
Verse 12:
“And after the earthquake, fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”
In this scripture, the Holy Spirit meticulously explains the expressions of God’s voice. It is revealed that:
- The wind,
- The earthquake, and
- The fire
must testify of God before His voice can be heard. These expressions are allegories representing judgment, travail, and the Spirit. They manifest as precursors to hearing God’s still small voice.
Allegories in the Spiritual Realm
1. The Wind and the Spirit
Before the voice of God can be heard, the wind must appear first. In this context, the wind symbolizes the person of the Holy Spirit. Zechariah 4:6 reveals the wind as the Spirit, and when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in Acts 2, He came as a rushing mighty wind. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2-4). All the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit. From this analogy, a believer must be Spirit-filled to divinely hear the voice of God.
The Holy Spirit serves as the connection between the believer and God’s voice. 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 explains that the Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God, including His heart and mind, and reveals them to us. Without being filled with the Holy Spirit, one cannot hear the voice of God. The Holy Spirit also intercedes for believers during prayer, revealing the thoughts of God. This intercession happens specifically at the place of prayer. Romans 8:26 states, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
In this dispensation, the expression of God’s voice is often heard during prayer. Therefore, without prayer, it is impossible to testify to hearing His voice. The Holy Spirit bears witness to God’s voice exclusively through intercessory prayers.
2. Earthquake and Travail
The second expression, earthquake, emphasizes the critical role of brokenness and travail in prayer. Travail in prayer is primarily birthed from a heart of brokenness and meekness. A humble and contrite spirit is one that God will never despise. Proverbs 18:14 reminds us that “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?” At our weakest points, our spirits may struggle to pray. This infirmity, or weakness, can crush the spirit, making it difficult to seek God.
However, Romans 8:26 reassures us that the Holy Spirit helps us in our infirmities. When we do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit steps in, pushing us to a place of brokenness where we can travail in prayer. David understood this truth and cried out to God for renewal and help. In Psalms 51:10-11, he prays, “Renew a right spirit within me; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” Aware of his spiritual weakness, David approached God with humility and brokenness. He declares in Psalms 51:17, “My sacrifice is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, you, God, will not despise.”
These scriptures illustrate the significance of travailing in prayer—persistently seeking God with all your heart and from a place of woundedness. When you cry out to God with a genuine and broken heart, He will hear you and reveal Himself. God confirms this in Isaiah 57:15, saying, “I live with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
If you are hard-hearted, you will not hear God, let alone see His face. God seeks to build intimacy with you in the place of prayer, and this begins with Him stripping away your crown, ego, pride, and hard-heartedness. When you recognize and accept your weakness before Him, He comes down to your level to strengthen and empower you through His grace. Travail in prayer begins from such places of relationship or intimacy with God. When approaching God in prayer, come with a genuine heart and a contrite spirit. Only then will He show Himself to you and speak.
Travail in prayer can as well be likened to labor pains. Travail involves abiding in the presence of God and patiently waiting for Him to speak. It requires steadfastly seeking Him and exploring Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to discern His message. Despite any distractions, to travail—or tarry—in His presence means remaining committed to prayer, worship, and the study of God’s Word.
3. Fire and Judgment
The third element that testifies to the voice of God is fire, a representation of His judgment. Before God speaks, He first deals with any form of evil or wickedness in our lives. As you travail in prayer, you ascend in the spirit, drawing closer to the throne of grace. God cannot reveal Himself or speak in the presence of evil; therefore, His fire must precede Him, consuming all forms of wickedness.
In Daniel 7:9, Daniel describes God’s throne as flaming with fire. Similarly, when we approach God’s throne in prayer, the devouring fire eradicates any form of evil surrounding us. This moment of judgment by fire is crucial to silencing familiar spirits that may attempt to imitate the voice of God. Many have unknowingly built careers, marriages, doctrines, and ministries based on voices from familiar spirits, mistaking them for God’s voice. The element of fire ensures that these spirits are judged before God speaks, highlighting the importance of spiritual warfare.
Warfare in Prayer
Spiritual warfare involves confronting and overcoming the enemy’s schemes and casting down any stronghold that opposes the voice of God. In Ephesians 6:13-18, Paul outlines the armor of God, which includes truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, the Word, the gospel, and praying in the Spirit. These elements form the foundation for every believer seeking to hear God’s voice while separating it from false or deceptive influences. Fire and judgment are the final expressions of God before He speaks.
To hear the voice of God, Christians must win the spiritual battles waged in their minds. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 emphasizes this strategy, instructing believers to “cast down every imagination and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” Winning the battle of the mind is essential because many struggle to differentiate between their own thoughts and the voice of God. Lust, pride, selfishness, disobedience, and dishonesty are barriers that must be overcome to hear God clearly.
God’s voice cannot originate from a place of lust, pride, or selfish ambition. His voice reflects wisdom, rooted in His Word, faith, and love. It proceeds from a place of purity, truth, and grace. By eliminating soulish desires and worldly wickedness, believers create an environment where God can speak clearly and effectively.
Applying the Expressions of God’s Voice
Like Elijah, we must recognize and address the expressions of God’s voice before He speaks. Elijah waited for the wind, the earthquake, and the fire to pass before discerning the gentle whisper of God (1 Kings 19:11-12). In our time:
- The wind represents the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us and guides us in prayer.
- The earthquake symbolizes travail or the groanings of creation, urging us to pray with a genuine and contrite heart.
- The fire represents God’s judgment, which necessitates spiritual warfare through truth, righteousness, faith, the Word, and prayer.
Addressing these elements is a prerequisite to hearing the still small voice of God. By preparing our hearts and minds through travail, brokenness, and warfare, we create the conditions necessary to clearly discern His divine guidance.
