Does God Whisper?
One of our greatest desires is to hear God’s voice. In any relationship, communication is essential. We communicate with our friends, family, co-workers, and everyone else we interact with.
Communicating with God is an essential aspect of our relationship with Him.
We can communicate with God through various ways like prayer, reading the Bible, listening to sermons, and worship. Hearing from God is a complex topic and misunderstood by many.
In this post, we’ll explain how God communicates with us, and why He whispers to us.
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19:11-12 NIV
This is the most common passage of scripture that explains how God whispers to us. Instead of being in a loud, dramatic earthquake, fire, or wind, God whispers.
The Bible says that God is a Spirit, and He speaks to us through our spirit. This is an intimate form of communication, and often feels like a quiet whisper within us.
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:24 NKJV
"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
2 Corinthians 3:17 NKJV

Why doesn’t God speak audibly?
There are a few times in the Bible where God speaks audibly to people. Reading these stories can make us wonder why we don’t hear God in dramatic fashions. God speaks to Moses through a burning bush and on top of mountains. God speaks to Abraham and tells him things about his future. God speaks complex messages to prophets.
Why doesn’t God speak to us in the same way? Is it because God doesn’t exist? Or because God is mute? Maybe God got tired of talking?
People will give you a long list of reasons why we don’t hear God’s voice booming from the sky.
First, we need to ask ourselves why.
Why do we have a desire to hear God’s audible voice? Is it because we aren’t sure He exists? I believe that’s the primary reason why we want to hear God like we hear other people talk.
We need to understand that thousands of people heard God’s voice and they didn’t believe in Him.
Most of the time, hearing God’s voice resulted in fear and chaos.
When Moses went up to Mount Sinai to speak with God, the rest of the Israelites didn’t want to go with him. They didn’t want to get close to God.
"When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was."
Exodus 20:18-21 NIV
People had a similar reaction in the New Testament on the Mount of Transfiguration. They heard God’s audible voice from Heaven and it caused fear. The truth is, hearing God’s voice doesn’t have the result that people think it will.
"While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified."
Matthew 17:5-6 NIV
Read: 5 Signs That God is Speaking to You
It’s for our own benefit that God doesn’t speak audibly to us.
This was a rare occurrence in the Bible and it would make more people afraid of God instead of drawing people near to God. His intent is to draw us close and develop a relationship. Speaking out loud doesn’t accomplish either of those.
How can we hear God’s whisper?
Hearing the voice of God takes some practice. It’s similar to learning a new language.
God is willing and able to speak to us and give us wisdom, encouragement, and guidance. Since God speaks to us in a whisper, we need to take time to develop discernment and recognize His voice.
If you speak to someone often, you’ll begin to recognize their voice. Then, even when you can’t see someone, you’ll know who’s talking to you.
I believe that God is always speaking to us, but most of the time we’re not listening.
When you want to hear God’s whisper, you need to set aside time and shut off distractions. We live in a busy world that can easily down out the voice of God.
God often whispers because He wants our full, undivided attention.
Reading the Bible also helps us understand and recognize God’s voice. God will never speak to us or tell us to do something that’s contradictory to the written Word.
"I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry."
Psalm 40:1 NKJV
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."
John 10:27 KJV
Lastly, if we want to hear from God we need to believe that God exists.
As mentioned earlier, hearing God’s voice doesn’t prove His existence. We need to come to God humbly, and ask Him to speak to us in faith that He will answer.
"And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him."
Hebrews 11:6 NLT
