The Auditory Voice of God

I’m Christian and hear God all the time, first in the Bible and also in prayer. And nature. And other people. Honestly, once you recognize His voice you start hearing Him all over the place.

Then there are the otherworldly conversations like the Biblical “dreams and visions” that are my lifework in my personal Christian practice and spiritual direction ministry. Those are amazing too.

THEN there are the actual auditory comments from the Lord. I mean a hear-it-in-your-ear Voice.

This has only happened to me twice in my life.

#1: A Watery Surprise

I often went for silent retreats at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Andrew in southern CA. One time I was in the beautiful shady poplar grove that a monk had planted decades ago.

I was sitting with my Bible and journal, feeling contemplative and satisfied. Next thing I knew, THE AUTOMATIC SPRINKLERS CAME ON. I grabbed my stuff and made a watery run to safety. I was pretty mad at God for interrupting my holy time. (With Him. Yeah, I know.) Then I clearly, crystal clearly heard Him say: “Not for your convenience but for your profit.”

I will never forget that. Whenever life gets tough I look to Him, HIs love and faithfulness, and remember.

#2: Don’t Leave

I was engaged to Alan. I was already divorced and didn’t want to make a second mistake. When we hit a rough patch in our engagement, I thought about leaving. We were at Bel Air Presbyterian Church in an empty sanctuary. (And no, I don’t remember why. I was a member and he was an agnostic Jew. But there we were.)

We had another fight. We both walked away to calm down. As I sat in the sanctuary I decided to break the engagement and go. No indecision, no question.

But then I heard the Voice crystal clear. He said: “STAY. STAY. STAY.” Just like that He repeated Himself 3 times.

And I did.

We got married and had some good years. But we had worse years too and we ended up divorcing. I never dated again, let alone remarried.

But this is why I know God told me to stay: He wanted our son Alex to be born. In fact, neither Alan nor I wanted kids. Then when I was 41, I began feeling a little queasy… you guessed it. Accidentally pregnant at 41. Delivered a healthy baby boy at 42. And even though Alan and I separated when Alex was 5, we managed to work together and raise a truly great kid.

That God wanted to be in the world, conceived and loved by Alan and me–no matter how odd that arrangement looked from time to time. God knows what He’s doing.

I would love to know. Has anyone heard Him audibly? ANY time we hear Him is wonderful, and we will often hear His words in our minds and hearts. But words in your ears? Let me know.