Listening for the Right Voice

A Reflection on Discernment, Obedience, and Following the Holy Spirit

I have a grandson who used to live about 100 miles away from me. It was an easy drive—close enough to spend the day together and still return home that evening. Those miles never felt long. Anticipation has a way of shortening the road.

His parents recently relocated and had the audacity to take him with them. They now live almost 900 miles away. While I am grateful they are listening to God and following where He is leading their family, the twelve-hour drive is very different from the ninety-minute one. Still, I make the drive. Love has a way of redefining what we consider “too far.”

When the Journey Gets Longer

Because I spend so much time on the road, I was introduced to Waze—an app that provides real-time driving information and directions. It has saved me countless hours. I mention this only because it sets the stage for a lesson I didn’t know I was about to learn.

One day, while driving home and already halfway through the trip, I decided I wanted coffee. Not needed—wanted. I didn’t want to change my final destination, but I couldn’t figure out how to add a stop in Waze. So, I did what seemed reasonable at the time and opened Google Maps as well, setting the coffee shop as its final destination.

With two navigation apps running, I took the exit off the freeway and turned right, confident the coffee shop was just ahead on the right-hand side.

Two Voices, Two Destinations

Suddenly, I heard a voice instructing me to make a U-turn.

Assuming I had missed the coffee shop, I moved into the left lane to turn around. At that exact moment, I saw the coffee shop clearly on the right. Confused, I swerved back into the right lane just in time to turn into the parking lot—while the U-turn voice continued insisting I turn around.

Standing there with coffee in hand, it finally clicked. I had been listening to two voices.

One voice was directing me toward the coffee shop. The other was directing me back to the freeway and ultimately home. Both voices were correct—but only for their intended destination. The problem wasn’t faulty directions. The problem was divided attention.

The Cost of Divided Attention

I returned to the freeway and continued my drive home, but my thoughts stayed with that moment. How easily I confused the voices. And how often do we do the same thing in life?

Jesus tells us, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). God’s voice is not manipulative or chaotic, yet recognizing it requires intentional listening. The challenge is rarely that God is silent—it’s that we allow too many other voices to speak at the same volume.

There is the voice of the Holy Spirit—steady, clear, aligned with Scripture, and anchored in peace. There is the voice of our own desires—often persuasive and urgent. And there is the voice of the enemy, the deceiver, who thrives in confusion and distraction.

All three can sound convincing. All three can appear right. But only one leads us where God intends.

Discerning the Voice of the Holy Spirit

James writes that “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits” (James 3:17). This has become a helpful filter for discernment. The Holy Spirit does not rush us into fear or pressure us into impulsive decisions. His guidance may be challenging, but it is never frantic.

At Umbwella’s Stand, we often talk about obedience not as a dramatic moment, but as a daily posture. Obedience is formed in quiet decisions—choosing to pause, listen, and trust God even when the path requires sacrifice or patience.

Staying Tuned to the Right Frequency

What stayed with me most from that drive wasn’t the near-miss of my coffee. It was how easily I could have missed something good simply by listening to too many voices at once.

How much more is that true in our spiritual lives?

I don’t want to miss what God has prepared—whether instruction, redirection, or blessing. I want to dismiss the deceiver, recognize my own desires honestly, and stay tuned to the frequency of the Holy Spirit.

Because the destination matters.

And so does the voice we choose to follow.