When we hear of someone claiming that God spoke to them, we probably think of someone with a mental illness – especially if that “voice” is telling them to commit an act of violence or some other crime.

Sadly, we might also question the motives of a religious leader who claims a directive from God that demands a greater financial commitment or an action contrary to Christian principles.

But mental imbalance, greed or political consideration was not always the first consideration. The Bible is filled with stories of God speaking to and through the writers of those sacred texts. And God’s messages to those writers of old were frequently prophesy, hope, encouragement and promises of better things to come.

Granted, many of the messages in the Bible were scoldings, warnings and even tactics for dealing with enemies of the people, but you would be hard-pressed to find a message urging violence against the innocent.

So, what’s different between then and now? Was the voice heard in ancient times truly the voice of God while the voices heard today are more likely the voice of madness? What has changed?

If we apply our logic filter to these questions, we can appreciate the difference between the ancient and modern ages, and the legitimacy or objectives of the ancient messages.

The first element we need to acknowledge is the difference in education and culture. The ancient writers of Biblical texts were not distracted by television, telephones, internet and other aspects of modern life. Neither were they handicapped by the lessons of today’s science.

This is not meant to imply that the prophets of Biblical times were ignorant. It is quite logical to assume that the authors of Bible texts were educated at least to the extent that they were capable of recording their thoughts, experiences and observations.

You might say that their sense of doubt had not yet matured.

In essence, their innocence allowed them to be more receptive to communication that originated outside of human experience. Unfettered by the cynicism and doubts of our modern world, they would have had the ability to distinguish God’s message from the din of their own thoughts and ego.

Contemporary stories have demonstrated that children seem to have an ability to connect to the spiritual realm more easily than adults. Perhaps it is because they have not had time to construct the barriers of doubt that become our handicap. Maybe that is the essence of the warning recorded in Matthew 18:3 – “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.“

In today’s world, we might compare the ability to hear God’s voice to the ability to carry on a conversation in a crowded, noisy bar or restaurant. The confusing babel around us in those circumstances makes it difficult, if not impossible, to communicate an intact, accurate message. Eventually, we may just postpone that message to a quieter time – which may or may not ever come.

Following that train of logic, we could wonder, if God spoke to us, would we hear the message? Or would we postpone listening until a quieter time – a time that never seems come in our busy lives.

Perhaps, to hear that voice, we need to quiet the hubbub of our own thoughts and embrace a child-like faith.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10.