The underlying truth to the suggestion that God is a communicating God lies in His nature and character. It is literally impossible to read the Bible and not see God talking with His people in some form or another, and they in return, hearing Him.
During the decade I served as a missionary in East Asia, it was imperative that I learned to strip off my own cultural way of interpreting the Bible and let the Bible speak for itself. In many churches, we have shackled ourselves to the unbiblical notion that God does not speak to us in a personal way. This is a deceptive tradition taught by people (albeit well- meaning). You will find no proof for this idea in the Word of God.
In the Old Testament, God spoke primarily through His prophets. In fact, He declared that He would do nothing unless He first warned His people through the prophets (Amos 3:7).
In the New Testament, God speaks primarily through the Holy Spirit (and of course Jesus, in the Gospels). Jesus said it so clearly in John when He stated, “My sheep hear my voice and follow me” (John 10).
We were made to be in relationship with God. How can two beings have fellowship with one another if they are not able to communicate? Without this key ingredient, relationships either quickly die or become stiff and overly formal, lacking intimacy.
Throughout my life and years of walking with Jesus, He has used many means to communicate with me: the Bible (the Bible (logos), His spoken word (rhema), the Holy Spirit, other people (prophecy & words of knowledge), creation, circumstances, and dream & visions. All of these ways are Biblical and can be found in Scripture.
God wants to bless, comfort and direct us with His voice. He also wants to speak through us to encourage and strengthen others.
I remember once while I was having coffee and spending time with God at a local cafe, I felt the Holy
Spirit nudge me to go and speak to the woman who was sweeping the floor. I felt very nervous and unsure of myself and didn’t know what to say, so I asked God. I felt like He told me to tell her that He sees her, as in God notices her.
I had no idea about this woman. She might love God. She might hate Him. I waited until I was done with my coffee so that after I told her I could run out if it all went sour. I approached her and shared with her what God told me -that He sees her. Tears came to her eyes. She gave me a huge hug. She was visibly moved and obviously encouraged. It made me want to step out more often.
The world is desperate to hear from God. We all have an insatiable desire to know that our Creator understands the details of our lives and is for us. We all need the touch of God.
I wrote this short e-book, 7 Biblical Ways to Hear from God in hopes of bringing encouragement and clarity into the area of hearing God’s voice. My prayer is that you will see clearly that God wants you to hear from Him and that you are very capable of doing so.
May we press onto know Him. He is truly a God worth knowing. And more amazingly, He wants to be known!
