If you’ve ever sat in silence hoping God would say something—anything—but all you heard was your stomach growling, you’re not alone. The idea of “hearing God’s voice” gets tossed around in Christian circles so casually it can make you wonder if you missed the memo on how it’s supposed to work. Is it a booming voice? A gut feeling? A Bible verse that happens to match your exact situation? Or is everyone just pretending?
Mark and Patti Virkler asked the same questions and decided to do something radical: figure it out. Their book “4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice” has become a quiet classic in the spiritual formation space, offering a surprisingly practical framework for something that usually sounds mystical or vaguely poetic.
Here’s how it works—and how you can actually start hearing from God in a way that doesn’t feel like you’re making it all up.
1. Stillness: Get Quiet or Get Used to Static
We live in a world where your phone buzzes every 15 seconds and even your prayer app wants to send you notifications. So when the Virklers say the first step to hearing God is stillness, it’s more countercultural than it sounds.
Stillness isn’t just physical quiet. It’s internal. It’s putting your anxiety, your multitasking and your spiritual FOMO on pause. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” The knowing comes after the stillness.
Mark Virkler found that when he set aside intentional time in a quiet place (and yes, sometimes that meant waking up earlier than he wanted), the chaos of his thoughts began to settle. In a journal entry, he wrote, “I had to train my mind to release distractions. That’s when I could finally hear the whisper I’d been missing.”
You don’t need a monastery. You need five minutes without your phone and the willingness to let your inner noise simmer down.
2. Vision: Fix Your Eyes on Jesus (Literally)
The second key is vision, and it’s one a lot of modern believers either ignore or find weird. But stick with it.
The Virklers suggest using “godly imagination” to picture Jesus in your mind. Sounds trippy, but it’s deeply rooted in Scripture. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Fix your eyes on Jesus.” Not metaphorically—like, actually picture him.
Visualization is already a normal part of our lives. Athletes use it. Therapists recommend it. You do it when you daydream about your crush texting you back. Why not use it to connect with God?
Picture Jesus. What’s he doing? Where is he? What’s his posture toward you? Don’t force anything. Just look.
Patti once described how she’d see Jesus smiling at her in her mind’s eye, and that simple image brought peace and comfort she couldn’t explain. Was it just her imagination? Maybe. Or maybe God designed our minds to be able to see spiritual reality in a way we’re not used to accessing.
3. Spontaneity: Don’t Overthink the Flow
Here’s the part that freaks people out. The third key is spontaneity—which means the thoughts that come when you’re in stillness, focusing on Jesus, are often how God speaks.
We tend to assume anything that originates in our head must be, well, our thoughts. But 1 Corinthians 2:16 says we have the mind of Christ. That means God can drop his thoughts into our stream of consciousness—and they won’t feel like a booming external voice. They’ll feel like a gentle, spontaneous thought.
The Virklers realized the Holy Spirit often speaks through “flowing thoughts,” not forced ones. It’s less like a thunderclap and more like a trickle. In one of his journals, Mark wrote, “God’s voice often sounds like my thoughts—but full of peace, clarity and love I don’t generate on my own.”
Yes, this requires discernment. No, not every random idea in your brain is from God. But when you’re in a posture of worship and seeking him, spontaneous thoughts that align with Scripture are a solid way he speaks.
4. Journaling: Write It Down Like You Mean It
The final key is journaling. Before you roll your eyes, this isn’t about writing “Dear Diary” entries about your crush or your coffee order. This is where things get real.
The Virklers recommend writing down what you sense God saying to you as you’re still, focusing on him and receiving spontaneous thoughts. Write it in first person, like you’re taking dictation from the Spirit. Don’t edit. Don’t second-guess. Just write.
Here’s an example:
“My child, I see you trying so hard. You don’t need to earn my approval. Rest in my love. I’m already proud of you.”
You might read that back and think, “Did I just make this up?” Maybe. But if it aligns with Scripture, reflects the heart of God and brings peace instead of confusion, you’re probably on the right track.
Journaling helps you go back later and reflect. It gives you a paper trail of God’s voice over time, and you’ll start to notice patterns—confirmation, themes, nudges that weren’t coincidence after all.
So … Is That It?
Basically, yeah. Stillness. Vision. Spontaneity. Journaling. That’s the framework. But here’s the catch: This isn’t a formula. It’s a relationship. It’s a way to posture yourself to hear, not a spell to guarantee results.
And sometimes God still goes silent. Sometimes the answer is wait. Or grow. Or trust. But the point is, he is speaking. Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
So maybe the real question isn’t whether God is speaking. It’s whether we’ve actually stopped scrolling long enough to listen.
Want to try it yourself? Grab a journal. Find a quiet corner. Ask God a simple question like, “What do you want me to know today?” Fix your eyes on Jesus, and write what you sense in response. You might be surprised by what you hear.
God’s not playing hard to get. He just speaks in a voice soft enough that you have to lean in.
