How we can catch from God

11 September 2026

There are many ways that people 'catch' God's voice. One of the joys of parenting or working with children and young people is that we can help them discover the ways they catch what he is saying to them.

Because God made us and knows us intimately, he is able to adapt the way he communicates with each one of us so that it is something we learn to recognise. This is often linked to our own personalities or preferences. A young person who loves music may find they hear God speaking through the words of songs. An artist may find themselves drawing or painting something God is showing them. Someone who finds it hard to sit still may hear God best when they are out and about. And as we learn to recognise God’s voice, many people find that they catch his communication in a variety of ways.

There seem to be no limits on God’s creativity when it comes to communicating with us – the bible even records that he used a talking donkey to speak to Balaam (Numbers 22:21-31)! But here are some common ways we see both in Scripture and in Christians’ experiences today.

Through the bible

We may sense that God is highlighting a particular verse or passage to us.

2 Chronicles 34:15-21: King Josiah hears God speaking through scripture
Daniel 9:1-3: Daniel understands God’s plan when he reads about it from the scriptures
Psalm 119:105: God’s word shows the Psalmist what to do
Nehemiah 8:1-9: when the people hear the scriptures read aloud, they wept as they understood God’s teachings.

Through wise people

We may realise that God has used someone to speak his wisdom to us.

2 Kings 5:1-5: Naaman’s servant girl tells him about the prophet Elisha
Acts 8:26-40: Philip explains to the Ethiopian what the scriptures mean
Exodus 18: Jethro gives Moses advice that makes all the difference.

Through our eyes and ears

God may show us something or let us hear his voice.

Isaiah 30:21: we might hear an audible voice
1 Kings 19:11: Elijah hears God’s voice
Jeremiah 18:1-12: God speaks to Jeremiah through what he sees
2 Kings 6:17: God shows Elisha’s servants the heavenly armies

With our minds

God can use our minds to speak to us through words, pictures and visions

Acts 10:9-12: Peter has a vision on the roof
Revelation 4: John’s vision of heaven
I Chronicles 28:11-19: David explains that God guided his plans
Nehemiah 2:12: God put an idea in Nehemiah’s head
John 14:26: Jesus explains that the Holy Spirit will remind the disciples of what he had taught them
Amos 8:1-2: God gives Amos a picture of ripe fruit

Through our feelings and emotions

God can communicate with us through our emotions and reactions.

Mark 2:8: Jesus has deep conviction of the truth
Luke 24:42: the disciples realise the burning feeling was because they were hearing the truth from Jesus
Nehemiah 1:4: the news from Jerusalem provoked deep sadness in Nehemiah
Acts 17:16: Paul was very troubled by what he saw in Athens
Philippians 4:7: God may give us a sense of peace that can’t be explained

With our skin and bodies

Our bodies may help us discern that God is communicate with us.

Daniel 10:10-11: Daniel has a physical response to God’s presence
Jeremiah 1:9: Jeremiah feels God touching his lips
1 Kings 8:10-11: the priests physically experience the glory of the Lord

In our dreams

God often uses people’s dreams to communicate with them.

Matthew 2:20: God uses a dream to show Joseph what to do
Genesis 37: God gives Joseph dreams that will help him understand events many years later
1 Kings 3:5–15: God spoke to Solomon in a dream