Episode 15: How to Hear the Voice of God

Discover how to hear the gentle, guiding voice of God within you.

In this episode of Spirituality on the Go, we explore the ancient and timeless practice of listening to the inner voice of love—the Holy Spirit whispering in your heart. 

Through inspiring stories, practical insights, and a powerful guided meditation, you'll learn how to step into the sacred hush where divine wisdom flows. Whether you’re seeking peace, clarity, or a deeper connection with God, this episode offers a simple yet profound invitation: be still, listen, and come home to your true self.

Get into the Divine Flow by purchasing your copy of Finding Flow: Spiritual Practices to Reclaim Inner Peace, Balance, and Wholeness.

Click the link to purchase on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4jDXfla

Transcript

Brian Plachta: 0:01

Welcome to Spirituality on the Go, the podcast where you can experience practical tools to put in your spiritual toolbox so you can connect with the wisdom that exists within you, find inner peace and live with happiness, even joy, in the midst of a busy life. Today, I'll guide you through a powerful experience allowing you to hear the inner voice of God, that voice of love and wisdom, your inner teacher, that's always available to you. Before we begin with the meditation, let me give you a little background on the idea that we all have the ability to hear God's voice. Throughout history many spiritual decisions have spoken about an inner presence, a divine guidance that speaks to the heart and whispers to the soul. The whisper of the Holy Spirit it's often been called. We see it in the Old Testament story of Elijah in the Book of Kings. After Elijah fled into the wilderness, he found himself alone in a cave, seeking God's direction. A mighty wind tore through the mountains, but God wasn't in the wind. Then came an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake. And after that a fire, but God wasn't in the fire either. And finally there came a gentle whisper. And in that whisper, Elijah recognized God's voice. This ancient story teaches us that God's voice is rarely in the loud, dramatic moments, but more often in the quiet spaces. And this thread of continuing to listen to the voice of God Jesus tells us in the New Testament. Jesus spoke about that inner connection that we all have through the Holy Spirit. In the Book of John, Jesus says, my sheep hear my voice. I know them. And they follow me. Jesus paints the picture of a shepherd whose sheep are so familiar with him that they recognize his voice instantly. Even among all the other noises around them. In the same way Jesus invites you and me to learn to hear and trust God's voice of love in our own hearts. Over time, many people like you and me have found simple practical ways to stay close to that inner voice, that inner teacher. And one of the clearest teachers was a man called Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence was a 17th century monk who taught that the fastest way to connect with God is through a continuing, loving conversation with God. Brother Lawrence says, approach your relationship with God as if you and God were the only two beings in the world. For Lawrence, it wasn't about doing anything extraordinary to connect with God. It was about focusing, paying attention moment by moment to the Divine Companion with an ongoing conversation with God. Both in meditation, quiet times, and also in the active part of the day, like speaking to your best friend, speaking and listening in a relationship of love. In more recent times. Mother Theresa, now St. Theresa of Calcutta, echoed the same wisdom with her own simplicity. Mother Teresa once said, God speaks in the silence of our hearts. If we listen, we will hear his voice. Mother Teresa spent an hour along with her sisters every day in silent meditation before she did her work. And that sense of hearing God's voice that Mother Theresa talks about reminds us that God's voice, that stillness that we enter into isn't emptiness. It's creating a sacred space within our hearts of quiet. A sacred hush, or the inner voice of God can be heard. And perhaps maybe the simplest way to understand this journey of listening for the voice of God, the whisper of the Holy Spirit is by thinking about how a newborn child comes to know the voice of their mother or their father. At first for that infant the world is a swirl of sounds and sensations. But over time, through tenderness and closeness, the infant begins to recognize one particular voice, that voice that becomes a source of comfort, trust, and joy. In the same way as we sit with God in stillness and love our hearts, begin to recognize his voice, a voice that calls us home to peace, wisdom, deep belonging, inner guidance to journey through the ups and downs of life. In a moment, I'll guide you through a meditation that will help you experience hearing the voice of God, that sacred hush that speaks directly to your soul. The meditation is designed to help you step onto the bridge between heaven and earth. The space where divine wisdom flows freely. Your inner teacher speaks in the silence of your heart. As you settle into this guided meditation, remember this isn't just an exercise. It's an invitation to tap into the wisdom that's always available to you. Whether you feel it immediately or simply open yourself up to the possibility, it's an invitation to trust that the voice of love is speaking to you in ways that are gentle, guiding and deeply personal and unique for each one of us. So to begin our meditation, I invite you to find a place where you can be safe, alone in the quiet. Once you find that space, take a moment to get comfortable. Maybe sit back. Close your eyes and take a deep breath in. Let your breath gently flow in your body as we begin. As you exhale, allow yourself to relax. Feel the flow of your breath, the spirit of God flowing within your body, your lungs, throughout your whole body. Take a moment to relax your shoulders, your jaw, your hands. Allow your mind to sink into your heart. Just be here. Now in this present moment. Now imagine yourself standing on the edge of two worlds. One foot is firmly planted in the world of the earth. Clocks seasons, the constant movement of life. And the other foot in your imagination is grounded in the spiritual realm, a deeper, more timeless reality within you, where divine love and wisdom, God's grace, flows freely within your inner being. Allow yourself to imagine that you stand in the space between heaven and earth, flesh and flame matter and mystery. Feel the earth beneath your feet supporting you, holding you. Know that you are connected to this earth that God has created. Feel your presence grounded in the world that you live in, this earthly world that's been beautifully created by God. Next, as you breathe in and out slowly, draw your focus to your heart space. Imagine there's a sacred hush, a quiet that exists in your heart beyond the noise of the world. That sacred space within you is like an inner cave, an inner sanctuary that's past the veil of thoughts, past the veil of the world. And imagine in this inner space that the voice of God speaks in gentle whispers, like a soft breathe, a soft breeze flowing within your body, always calling you, always guiding you in the stillness of your heart. Hear if you can, a gentle voice that calls you home. Home to your heart. The voice isn't distant. It's not outside of you in the external world, that voice is within you. It's the voice of love, the voice that sustains and nurtures your soul. Listen, can you hear it? A gentle whisper, a voice that's gentle, yet bold. It's the voice of God speaking with the sacred hush within you. It's like a breath of eternal life and light that sustains you. A flame that never consumes, that's always alive within your heart, Your soul. Always present. As you listen deeply you might hear the voice as just a whisper. It might be just a sense of peace, a calm, an emotion of just resting in the silence. Whatever you experience, let it just speak to your soul. Let it guide you into the truth of who you are, your true self in God. You are one with the God of love there within your heart space, within your soul. And if you don't hear anything, if you don't have a whisper, that's okay. Just rest in the comfort of being here now in the silence. Let yourself rest in this place of divine presence. As you rest there in your heart space within you, know that you're safe. The voice of God is calling you, guiding you, holding you in love, always. This voice of love, the inner voice of love is the bridge between heaven and earth. It's always within you. Always present, always available. It takes time and a daily practice of silence to hear that voice of love. But just like Jesus, Brother Lawrence, Elijah, and St. Theresa Mother Calcutta experienced, that inner voice of love is there for you. All you have to do is listen and be still. Know that you are connected to this divine flow within you. You are one with God. God is one with you in the stillness of your heart and your soul. Feel this divine presence within you, flowing through you like a river of light, like a gentle breeze, a simple river of water trickling within your body. This is the voice of God calling you to your truest self. You are always held by the love, the wisdom, the guidance of God. God's inner voice is always there to guide you whenever you take the time to stop and listen, and train your soul with gentle discipline. Just like you learn to hear your mother or father's voice, the heavenly divine voice is a voice you can learn to hear in the quiet of your heart. When you're ready, I invite you to gently bring your awareness back to this moment. Feel your feet on the earth. Feel your breath moving in and out of your body and through your body. Know that the voice of God is always within reach, waiting to guide you, to love you, to whisper to your soul. Take a moment if you would, to just thank God for this divine presence, for that whisper of the Holy Spirit, inner voice of love that's always there. Trust this connection is real. It's yours, you and God. Always available to you. As we wrap up today's meditation, I invite you to spend some time to reflect on your experience. What did you feel? What did you notice? That's the voice of love. God is speaking to you in your own unique way, and it's different for each one of us. Maybe you felt a sense of calm or heard an inner voice, a whisper of wisdom, a word, a phrase; or maybe you simply felt the presence of divine love holding you, within you. Whatever you experienced trust that it is real. Trust that the inner voice of God is there always for you. And if you didn't get a clear message or experience anything today, that's okay too. Sometimes the voice of God speaks so softly. It may take time to tune into it. The important thing is you've taken the step to listen, and that's the beginning. The beginning of wisdom. The more you practice being still and listening, the clearer this voice will become to you. So I invite you to take a moment each day to go into the quiet, be still, and listen, and trust that God's voice will speak to you just like Mother Theresa promised, like Jesus promised. The inner voice of love is whispering in your soul. Until next time, remember, the voice of God is always there calling you home as your inner teacher guiding you with wisdom and love, be still. All you have to do is listen.