Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
Years ago, Bob Jones experienced a vision in which he was taken into a temple where high-level praise was taking place. In the midst of this awesome praise, an old man walked into the service in a very unkempt manner. In fact, his hair was long and stringy covering not 
only His head but also his face. He had somewhat stooped shoulders and acted frail and confused by external demeanor. He looked like an ancient wilderness sage.
Most who saw him just assumed he was a confused elderly man and gave him little attention. As he moved through the crowd in this physical condition, he inquired of the people asking, “Do you know me?” “Do you know me?” As He did so, most did not even acknowledge his presence nor did they recognize his voice.
However, immediately after hearing this old man’s voice Bob instantly recognized that it was the Lord, although His outward appearance was strange and unique. He identified Him by His voice.
In the vision, He was not easily recognizable externally, yet those who were intimately acquainted with Him could straightaway discern His voice.
The old man asked Bob, “Do you know Me more intimately than your own wife?”
It is sad, but there are believers involved in high praise, that do not recognize His appearing. How many moves of the Holy Spirit or manifestations of Christ have they been that sincere believers rejected? It is really easy to do that. I am even more guilty than I know. So the Lord has offered us an invitation to get to know Him on a much deeper level.
I believe Bob’s vision is Revelation 3:20. He is knocking on our hearts. That is His invitation. Everyone hears His knocking at some time(s) in their lives, even the people of the world, but for many it is just an old confused, irrelevant man. Many ignore Him while others are offended by His appearance. They only hear and see with their natural eyes. It is those who hear His voice and will open their hearts that will have a profound encounter with the Ancient of Days!
I know my wife, Becky, deeper than any other person. Even among a crowd of people or in a completely dark surrounding where I can’t see her, I can clearly and easily recognize her voice.
This is God’s dream for us, no matter the form in which He comes we will know Him because His voice reveals His Presence. There is a grace from heaven that gives us the ability to recognize His voice. It is the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10-14).
In the garden, Adam and Eve knew God by His voice (Gen. 3:8). After they had eaten from the wrong tree, they ran and hid from the voice. In another garden, the first encounter Jesus had with humans after His resurrection was to reconnect us to recognizing His voice (John 20:14-16). He would not allow Mary to cling to the way she knew Him. She had to learn to recognize Him when He appeared in a different form. We all do.
John 3:29 reveals God’s heart for us. “The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is fulfilled.”
God has called each of us to be friends with His Son (John 15:15) and one of the ways friendship is expressed is through communication. There is coming for the person who chooses this friendship with the Son, where His voice will release the deepest satisfaction into our souls. The Son will speak things that will utterly transform us.
“The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth” Psalm 29:9
Many Blessings, BW