Hearing God speak:
I'll start with what you have already experienced to build upon the rest...
1.He speaks to your spirit thru other people's comments, answers etc.. Cheri's email is an example. When something is done where the timing is unmistakable, the wording is remarkably close to what you were asking, seeking etc. then on the inside of you, you FEEL the connection, it is on the inside that you hear "pay attention" and if you don't dismiss it right away, begins to make even greater sense. When your heart is open...God will speak. Most often people mistake the voice of God to be their own conscience or what they call their gut instincts. However, this is the Holy Spirit. Learn to be sensitive to it and obey it.
2. God speaks through nature. When the clouds unmistakably opened to shine light, is not only a "sign" but metaphorically it speaks as well. To shine light on anything is to bring the truth out of something. It is to point to and illuminate what God is saying. That was a particularly obvious sign of God speaking to you. This too will speak to the 'inside' of you...you can actually 'hear' that voice inside speaking...one must be still to hear it, and whatever it says you should then write it down as soon as you are able...you'll forget words here or there and with God EVERY SINGLE WORD MEANS SOMETHING. Even the and's and the but's.
3. On the inside again, your 'spirit' is either at rest or at war. Pay attention, this too is God. Match whatever it is you are feeling to the word of God and make a decision to either trust it or throw it away. Actually this is true for every one of these I am writing about. If anything is not in line with the word, it is not of God. God never contradicts Himself. For example, he introduces me to you, this brings a sense of peace...good...God does that. Then [because we r dum] we take things farther than they should be, this takes a good thing and then disturbs my peace...bad...God does not want that part of what He did included, therefore, we know to not go that way. Your spirit is like a giant directional arrow that flashes which way to go.
4. God speaks thru His word. If you ask Him to, most times He will directly answer you. I have found that when a passage doesn't fit the question, I chalk it up to me not getting what He is saying at the time/thru the verses, or that He requires me to have faith right now and to just wait on Him. So I leave it alone. He will reveal the answer another way and in His time....this one is hard for me. I want to know everything yesterday.
5.Praying....then with conviction...LISTEN. You will hear Him speak, but again, most people think it's just their own thoughts. I suggest that you write down everything you 'think' you are hearing anyway. Now, take a second look at it. Is it in-line with God's word? Then don't question it again. Get a little notebook and keep writing everything you hear on the inside of yourself. Keep in mind that sometimes a few days worth gives you the complete answer you were looking for. Our "wondering" is actually addressed in the bible and God really doesn't like that we do that. Wondering produces a weak witness to the truth. What God says is TRUE and He says He will speak to us [through the above things] and so our questioning whether or not He spoke to the spirit inside us is really unbelief in what the word says in TRUE. God never changes and His word stands for eternity. Practice makes perfect, so the more you do this the easier is gets to trust it. I ask God to confirm things all the time by the way. He taught me to hear Him 1st, question[test] what I hear by comparing it to His word 2nd, then if I still need further confidence I ask Him to validate it in a way I will recognize. He does that for us. He wants us to "test the spirits" so we are not deceived by Satan messing around. So again, if what you hear contradicts God's word, then it was not from Him. JUST THROW IT AWAY AND DON'T BE AFRAID YOU GOT A FALSE MESSAGE. NO BIGGIE....
6. Coincidence. Since it does not exist, it too is a way that God speaks to us...write those down as well.
7. Dreams, visions, direct revelations [like LOUD versions of Him speaking to our spirits/still on inside but you'll swear you can 'hear' it], being visited by an angel of God or God Himself. Dreams from God are the ones that are of a heavenly nature in some way, those we absolutely cannot forget that speak to us a precept of God's or reveal a future occurrence. They can include the sight of God or not. They may be of angels or whatever, but somehow this too you instinctively know that it was divinely sent. We all tend to want to question things as time fades our memeory, but don't question it even after time has passed, it's just a waste of time and God will bring you right back to believing what you already knew in the first place. It is Satan when you know something, then question it.
If I can think of more or you have questions...let me know. The biggest thing I can offer you is that an open heart is God's biggest invitation. Don't put any expectations or parameters on the answers you want Him to give you, just ask and trust...come what may.