You
said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God
has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the
midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with
man, yet he lives~ Deuteronomy 5:24 NASB
Most conversations about hearing the voice of God go in one
of two directions. Some confidently claim that they hear from God all the time
about every minute detail of their life. God speaks to them audibly on every topic
imaginable, from the serious to the mundane.
God has graciously
informed them whom they should be friends with and which schools they should
put their kids in. God tells them where
to go to get their car serviced, which brand of toothpaste they ought to buy
and what breakfast foods they should consume each morning.
These folks do not weigh the pros or cons of any decision.
They don’t agonize over which job to take or whom they should marry, or even
where they should go for dinner. They have all the answers because God tells
them exactly what to do all the time.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the people who awkwardly
confess that they have never heard God speak. They read their Bibles and pray
on a regular basis but they admit that they have never actually heard from God.
These folks typically feel like second-class citizens when compared to the
first group. In their darker moments they wonder if God loves them or if they
are really Christians.
I believe that God
speaks to all of His people at least some of the time. I also believe that there
are situations when we don’t hear God’s voice because we have preconceived
notions about how we think God should speak. Those biases can interfere with
our ability to hear what God is saying. We want (and sometimes even demand) an
audible voice when He is intent on using another, more subtle approach.
Following are the most common methods God uses when He has something to say.
The Bible- Psalm 119:105, 2nd Timothy 3:16
Contrary to popular opinion, the Bible is still God’s
preferred means of communication with people. God will never tell anyone to do
anything that directly contradicts biblical teaching. If you want to hear God’s
voice, begin there.
People- 1st Samuel 25, Acts 17:16-33, 2nd
Samuel 12, Judges 1:8-9
When God wanted David to understand that his craving for vengeance
would lead him down a path of wanton self-destruction, God chose to speak those
words through the quiet wisdom of a young woman named Abigail. When God wanted
to proclaim the reality of His existence to the people of Athens, He used the
words of Paul to communicate that truth. God still uses men and women to
communicate truth to one another. For
that reason, it is critical that we prayerfully evaluate the encouraging and
not-so-encouraging words of our friends, family members, pastors and even the
people we don’t really care for. Sometimes when people speak it’s not them
speaking, but God speaking through them. We will do well to listen.
Strong impressions and still small voices- 1st
Kings 19: 11-18, Acts 15:28-29, Acts 16:6
In my experience, God seldom says, “Do this” or “don’t do
that.” But he does speak to His people through impressions or a strong sense
that we should or should not do something. The only time we should ignore those
impressions is when the activity we are considering violates biblical
instruction.
Circumstances- Exodus 2:5-8, Acts 8:1-8
Little in life is more frustrating than feeling we are being
forced into a course of action by circumstances outside of our control. Thankfully
these situations are not always the tragedies they seem to be at the time.
Sometimes seemingly adverse circumstances are really the just the hand of God
guiding us towards His will for our lives.
I honestly do not know if God talks to some
folks more than others. It’s certainly possible; God deals with people as individuals
and He is free to do whatever He pleases. I do know that God is good and that
He never leaves us alone. I also know that if we need direction He will give it
to us, but that direction may not come in the form we are expecting. It is our
spiritual responsibility to keep our hearts and spirits open to God’s will in
whatever way He chooses to reveal it.
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