He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing.
-In the Garden by C. Austin Miles 1912
“God said.”
“God told me.”
Do you want to make a bunch of people uncomfortable? Just say those two little phrases. I have made more people uncomfortable than you would believe with those words, but the fact remains. He still speaks. The God who spoke to Abraham and made a covenant with him, the God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. The God who spoke to both Joseph and Pharaoh through a dream, and spoke to Paul as He blinded him.
If God doesn’t change then He still speaks. If God wants a relationship with us, He must still communicate. Can you imagine getting married to someone who was perfectly capable of speaking but just decided not to speak to you? What about a father who loved you desperately and just shrugged their shoulders and remained silent throughout your life?
In the Old Testament only a few heard from God. Prophets, priests, and individuals, but His Spirit has been poured out on all flesh so now it’s not just a select few. We know that the time that was prophesied in Joel 2:28 has come because Peter said so in Acts 2:16.
“And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.Joel 2:28 NIV
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.Acts 2:14-17
So why does it bother people when they hear the words “God said,” and “God told me.”
I think a big problem is the language. When I say “spoke” “told” and “said” it conjures up images of the burning bush and the audible voice, but that’s not necessarily what I mean. God speaks all languages, and not just the human ones.
I am fully convinced that God does still speak with an audible voice, but not every time. Sometimes it’s the still small voice, the idea, the picture, the feeling, the urge, or just plain old “knowing that you know that you know.” He speaks through the Bible while you are reading it, reminds you of a verse, has a human remind you of a verse, or has it pop up over and over in every situation for a week.
I think He speaks through nature, through children, through movies, through music, and in every which way He pleases. He chooses how He will speak to us as individuals and in each moment of the day. There are still dreams and visions and from what I see in the Bible there are meant to be more and more all the time.
Funny story! The song I opened with and will close with is called In the Garden and was written by C. Austin Miles and published in 1912. I grew up singing it in church and it still brings tears to my eyes. Did you know that Mr. Mills wrote this song because of a vision that God gave him one day? It’s true! You can read his own words about it here. No wonder it pulls on our heartstrings.
I’m teach on online class on this subject because it is near and dear to my heart. Christianity is a relationship not a set of rules so I will do anything I can do to open those lines of communication! Whether or not you take the class let me leave you with a list of possibilities.
This list will not be exhaustive but is a great jumping-off place. You may roll your eyes at some of my suggestions. Don’t worry! I used to do the same, so I won’t be upset. Our God is the Ultimate and Original Creator, and we could not possibly capture all of His ways of communicating. Stay open to Him and Him alone.
He speaks through:
Scripture – a verse stands out
Scripture coming up repetitively
All of scripture! All the time!
Audible voice – it happens!
Thoughts that come out of the blue
The impression of a word or words seen or imagined
A picture in your mind
A feeling that stands out
Feeling joy or peace
Feeling! – not all feelings are from God but He does speak this way to many people
Just knowing something you have no way of knowing
Dreams – not all dreams are from God, but some are
Visual things – a repeating symbol or object that has meaning
Creation – change of seasons, fire, the mountains, rain, gardens
Songs – one may just pop into your mind
Songs – as you are listening something stands out or comes to mind
Want to practice? Ask Him to speak to you this week in a new way. Ask Him to awaken your senses to Him and give you ears to hear and eyes to see!
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