A reminder for
today
Then shall ye call
upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. (Jeremiah 29:12)
Yesterday we had Pastor Keith from Denver visiting our
church and his message on hearing God’s voice was just awesome. It was a true
blessing hearing God’s teaching through this amazing man. It is such and important
message and so often people wonder if God speaks to them.
Rebecca Barlow Jordan says that there are 8 ways God can
speak to us. Let’s have a look at those:
He conversed with Adam in the first garden. He told Noah to
build an ark. He spoke to Moses in a burning bush. He promised Abraham a son.
Paul heard His voice on the way to Damascus. But does God still speak to us
today? If so, how? When? Where?
Often when people ask this question, they are talking about
an audible voice. And God can do that. He can do anything He wants. He’s God.
Why then, can’t I hear God speak to me audibly, someone might ask?
I can’t answer questions that the Bible does not make clear.
And the way God works is one of those questions. I do think “hearing God speak”
may mean different things to different people. To some, it may suggest, “I need
answers for my life, or this particular crisis.” Another may say, “I’ve asked
God for _________, but He never answers me."
God treats each of us as unique children. None of us are
cookie-cutter Christians. Because of that, God doesn’t “speak” the same way to
all of us. However, here are eight ways God often uses to communicate with us.
8 Ways God Speaks to Us Today
1. Through His Word in general.
2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is “God-breathed.”
His Word sometimes gives us a warning, a word of encouragement, or a lesson for
life. It’s” His-story”–written with love as God’s guide for life, “so that the
man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
That means God is whispering, and sometimes shouting, all
through His Word, giving us instructions and principles for life. As we
interpret Scripture by other Scripture, we avoid the false logic and
misinterpretations that sneak into our world. If someone claims, “God told me
to go kill my neighbour!” would you believe him? Of course not! God never
violates His own Word or principles. That “voice” does not belong to God.
I needed help for raising my children. God “told” me about
that in His Word, especially in proverbs. Marriage difficulties? God spoke
about that as well. Times when I was afraid? I “heard” Jesus’ words to His
disciples as they feared for their lives one stormy night: “Where is your
faith?” and it was as if God was speaking to me, too (Luke 8:23-25).
2. Through His Son, Jesus Christ
The New Testament was the fulfilment of God’s special plan.
It’s the gospel: the good news of Jesus Christ. “God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in
these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir
of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
Through the words of Jesus in Scripture, we can “hear” God’s
heart and God’s voice–and know what God is truly like. These words were not
written for a few, select individuals who could jump through the right
spiritual hoops (“For God so loved the world…”). Someone in Africa, in Germany,
in China, and in Alabama can “hear” Jesus’ voice by reading the same Bible.
Comparing us to sheep and Him as the Shepherd, Jesus says in
John 10:27: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Why?
Because the sheep know who He is. They belong to Him, and they recognize Him by
the sound of His voice. And He’s the one who will always lovingly lead them on
the right path–again and again.
3. Through Nature and God’s Creation
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even
his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans
1:20). Through the intricate details and magnificent beauty of all that God has
made, we can “hear” His voice. How? By observing the ant’s strength to store up
food all summer long, we learn about wisdom and industriousness. By studying
the heavens, we understand more of God’s greatness. And through planting and
growing a garden, we “hear” about miracles of death and rebirth. God
designed–and spoke them all into existence.
4. Through Other Believers
God may use a friend, a teacher, a parent, or a preacher to
convey His message of truth to us. Their words may come as a warning, a
blessing, or as a prophetic truth about our lives. Whether we choose to hear it
or ignore it, depends on us. Do their words line up with Scripture? Will God
confirm or affirm that truth in us? “But the wisdom that is from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy
and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17).
I’ve “heard” God speak to me numerous times through other
people. A good friend once cautioned me about flirting with danger. Words from
a speaker or Christian author have both challenged me and convicted me at
times. And I’ve “heard” God talking to me through my own children as their pure
and honest words cut clear to my heart and spirit, reminding me of God’s true
priorities.
And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto
Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three
times? (Numbers 22:28). Why then, can’t He speak through anyone at any
time or in any way He wants to?
Bottom line is that if we are His children, God loves us
unconditionally and will spare no expense to show us. Our part? Believe Him!
Hearing His “audible” voice would no doubt cinch His reality
in an awesome way. But I’ve never heard God through an angel’s message. I have
no taped recordings to tell you what God sounds like. But I have heard God
“speak” through the above ways–and in a few more.
5. Through Music
Perhaps one of the ways I can sense God’s presence the most
and “hear” His voice the best is when I am praising Him through music. Maybe
it’s because in times of depression and difficult trials in the past, I would
pour over David’s songs in Psalms, often singing them back to God with my own
tunes. Praise brings me instantly to attention, like a sergeant’s command to
his soldiers. The words and the notes bring a soothing comfort, excitement, and
passion that open my ears and heart and lift my spirits immediately.
In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat faced a huge army
of enemies who could have easily destroyed His people, but he did a strange
thing. With a declaration that his eyes were on God, he sent in a choir of
praise singers: “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed
singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they
went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth
for ever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21).
God “spoke” clearly. He released His power, and
Jehoshaphat’s army defeated their enemies!
6. Through Circumstances
When others claim to hear God through circumstances, I try
to caution them to test their conclusions with other evidence. God is a Holy
God, and often uses circumstances to get our attention. But He will usually
confirm it in other ways.
This happened to us before my husband and I married. We were
dating in high school and were both involved in what could have been a deadly
accident, when a speeding pick-up hit our car broadside. Through that accident,
my husband felt God had a special purpose for his life. Did he “hear” God’s
literal “Yes?” No, but through much prayer, seeking God’s Word, and talking to
others, he felt God’s confirmation. Several months later, he committed his life
to full-time Christian service.
Someone once told me they just knew God was telling them it
was okay to buy a brand-new pickup. They’d prayed about it, and circumstances
confirmed it: the local car dealership had just the colour and model they
wanted. But there was one small problem they were neglecting. They couldn’t
afford it on their income. And they ignored other red flags as well.
Through Moses, God used circumstances (plagues) to convince
Egypt’s leader to release God’s people from slavery. But Pharaoh wouldn’t listen.
Sometimes God uses our circumstances to test our faith. We
don’t always know how to interpret the things that happen to us. I recently
took my first trip in an ambulance to the local ER–unfortunately as a patient.
My pulse, along with my blood pressure, dropped dangerously low. For several
minutes my world looked like a spinning photo negative. Scary, to say the
least. Four hours of testing later found no cause as to why it happened. The
doctor pronounced me healthy and sent me home, after encouraging me to get a
follow-up–which I did. Nothing showed up.
I don’t know if God was speaking to me about something
special, but the first thing I did was tell Him I was listening! If nothing
else, life–and loved ones–suddenly became much more precious to me. One of the
first things I usually ask God when circumstances change is: “God, is there
something you want to teach me through this?” Yes, I know everything is
“fodder” for writers. But I want to make it personal and learn the lesson
first.
7. Through His Spirit
I once heard someone teach about “minding the checks” in
your spirit. Some may call it “God’s whispers,” while others say, “God’s still,
small voice.” We are made in the image of God, and when we confess Jesus and
follow Him as our Lord and Savior, His Spirit comes to live in us (John 14:17, 1
Corinthians 3:16). God’s Spirit speaks to us through our conscience, helping to
make the right decision. When we’re tempted, that same Spirit warns and nudges
us to do the right thing.
As a writer, I depend on God’s Spirit to give me direction.
There are times when ideas pop into my mind totally unexpectedly–and sometimes
directly after a plea for help from God. The good ideas I credit to God,
because after all, He is the source of every good and perfect gift. The others?
They are in file 13. Even the good ones need developing and
rewriting, but that’s a different subject.
Why do you suppose ten people can “hear” a sermon, but each
person will walk away with a different truth that applies to him? In some
cases, the speaker never spoke what the people say they “heard.” Many times,
that may be the result of God’s Spirit speaking a personal “Rhema,” a living,
breathing word of truth to our spirits. It’s when Scripture comes alive to
us–because it is truly “God-breathed.”
8. Through Prayer
Each way I’ve shared that God may speak to us today meshes
into the other. God often speaks to us through His Spirit, through prayer. We
may not know how to pray, but God’s Word tells us His spirit makes intercession
for us (Romans 8:26-27).
Often through a combination of fasting and prayer, our minds
become clearer and our hearts are more sensitive to God. Again, we may not hear
God’s literal voice, but His Spirit confirms a certain direction or answer for
us. As the distractions fade, we can sense His leading in a new way. Sometimes
while praying, God’s Spirit will remind us of a Scripture or a truth in His
Word that we can directly apply to the situation.
Does that happen immediately? Not always. There have been
occasions where I still had no clue what to do, but in faith I thanked God
whenever and however He would answer. A day, a week, maybe even months pass.
Then one day in the shower or on a walk, a thought comes–that gentle “whisper”
that could only come from Him, accompanied by His peace.
You Are Unique
Does God speak to all of us the same way? No, we are all
unique. Are these the only ways God speaks today? No. He’s a creative God. He
speaks so many ways, including through miracles. In other countries where
Christianity is taboo, God is also revealing Himself repeatedly through dreams.
Report after report confirms that an unbeliever who has never heard of Jesus
dreams of Him–but doesn’t know who the “man” is–or what the dream means. Then a
messenger comes, shows a film about Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the one who
has dreamed recognizes the man in his dream: It’s Jesus, the Son of God!
Remember One Truth
Regardless of the way God chooses to reveal Himself or
“speak” to us today, remember one truth. He will never contradict His Word, and
the message He gives will always bring glory to God. The Bible warns about
adding anything to the already written, God-breathed Word of God, or accepting
any other messenger who claims to be superior to Jesus (Revelation 22:18-19;2
Corinthians 11:4).
Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus.
Cheers
