God, Are You Talking to
Me?
Let’s
talk about God talking to us, and what that all means. This is a large topic … frankly, larger than
me, but I’m going to tackle it anyway, for it is important.
First
thing … Yes, God is talking to me, and to you.
God still talks to us. I’ve
never heard God’s audible voice, however.
When I say, “God speaks to me”, I am using the metaphorical concept that
God impressed on me such-n-such, or I sense that God is directing me to do this
or that.
Now,
let’s move on to the how and why and what does God’s voice sound like.
How
does God talk to us? His holy scriptures
are the first source for hearing God’s voice.
I do not believe God will ever direct us to do something that is contradictory
to what He has already put into the scriptures.
I’ve had many occasions when I’ve received what I considered a ‘word
from God’. I have two life verses.
Jeremiah
29:11 – “For surely I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and
not to bring you harm.”
And
Joshua 1:9 – “Be not afraid nor dismayed, for I the Lord your God will be with
you wherever you go.”
Note
that these verses were not specific to any move I should make, nor a yes or no
decision. They came into play more as an
assurance of God’s presence in my life in the middle of troubling times. Furthermore, they were an assurance that God, by
His discerning spirit, would impress upon my spirit a sense of His direction.
Ah,
that is one of the critical pieces when we talk about God talking to us. For me, He uses some unfathomable signal that
I call “the spirit of God” to impress upon my being a sense of “yes, this is
good”, or “no, this is bad.”
My
practice has been to proceed cautiously during these times and give God time to
confirm that particular divination within my own heart and mind. If the feelings of “do” persisted, then after
a period of time – days, weeks – I would then take that as the answer from God
to move in a certain direction.
I
felt that sense during my music publishing days at Thanksgiving time in 1993. I was offered a position and turned it down
at first. I later came back around to
that original offer and asked God for some kind of sense of what to do. I felt an overwhelming sense of the “peace
which passes all understanding” in those days.
I’ve never forgotten that experience.
It was straight out of Philippians 4:6-7.
“Don’t
be anxious about anything, but in every situation, with prayer and petitions,
let your request be known to God. Then
God’s peace, which goes beyond all understanding, will guard your heart and
mind in Christ Jesus.”
Sometimes,
on rare occasions, other individuals of faith can speak a word to help a person
see a solution or a direction in which to move.
I suppose we could say that God “spoke through him/her.”
Again,
that happened for me in 1973 when I was trying to make the decision to move
from Orlando to Albuquerque. After
receiving the offer to go to Albuquerque, my father called one night and asked,
“Well son, are you packed and ready to go?”
My
answer … “Well Dad. I just don’t know.”
He
said, “You know son, I think Albuquerque would be a good move for you. I think you are letting doubts and fears get
in the way. You probably should go ahead
and move to Albuquerque. And I tell you
what. If you get there and find out it
was the wrong move, remember this; God will forgive you, and I think there is
enough money in the bank to get you back home.”
I
made the move. God blessed. God was in it. It was four great years in my life.
Let
me quickly add this. If you are seeking
God’s answer through another person, just make sure in whom you are trusting
for this answer. Not all who claim to
speak for God really do speak for God. I
have some horror stories also, but will refrain from sharing them for now.
Well,
this needs to come to an end.
Bottom line, God still watches out for us. He cares what we do, how we do it, and at
times, when we should do a thing.
The
“how” of God letting us know comes through (1) His word – the Bible. Occasionally God will speak through (2) another
individual, and God will (3) impress
upon your heart and mind a sense of His direction and the assurance of His
peace to make a certain decision or not.
In
all my years of living, I’ve never known God to write in the skies, shape a
certain cloud formation to direct me, or give me an audible voice.
I
trust the God I serve.
I
listen for Him to speak in small ways, subtle moving’s that I am learning to
interpret as the hand or voice of God by which I govern my life.
P Michael Biggs
Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration
