While talking to a family member, an interesting question was posed. How does God speak to us? This family member thought the whole God speaking to us was just a metaphor. If you stop to think about it, the idea of God speaking to us may sound a bit weird. How does someone you can’t see talk to you? I thought about this for quite a bit and realized that God can be quite chatty at times. You just need to recognize his voice. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10 27 NLT
Let’s look at some ways that God speaks.
The Bible
One day my husband challenged me to ask God directly about how he’s feeling. Prayer is often focused on going to battle for others or focused for ourselves, rarely do we take into consideration that God might have some emotions of his own. Curious, I sat down in a quiet room and asked God what his feelings were. Silence greeted me. Sighing I opened my bible and decided that I would read Jeremiah for no special reason other than it had been awhile. Well, day after day God’s feelings of frustration, hurt, and love poured from the pages. I now understood how God was feeling.
God primarily speaks through his word. If you hear his voice in some other way, match it up against scripture. That is the authority that God has given to help us understand his voice.
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT
If someone doesn’t back up what they’re hearing with the Bible, then they run the risk of misinterpreting what they’re hearing.
Dreams/Visions
‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. – Acts 2:17 NLT
God spoke to people in the past with dreams. Joseph was warned to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt in a dream. Daniel saw visions of the end of the world. The king’s cupbearer and baker were given dreams about their future, and Joseph had to interpret them. There are so many examples in the Bible given about dreams and visions. There’s a belief that prophecies no longer exist, but God doesn’t say that. He says that someday they will cease, but in the last days people will dream and have visions.
If you are having dreams that leave you with an impression that God is speaking, make sure you match the interpretation of it with the Bible!
Prophetic Word
In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants- men and women alike- and they will prophesy. Acts 2:18 NLT
I was taught that prophecy no longer existed until one day a woman gave me a prophetic word. I had never met this woman before, but while at a prayer group she asked if she could share what God was impressing on her heart for me. I shrugged. Not wanting to offend her, I agreed to hear it. She started speaking of things that no one knew about! Prayers that I had been praying that only God knew! I was shocked! From that point on, I wanted to know everything about the prophetic word.
It happened a second time. My husband and I were struggling with a life changing decision. A woman walked up and slipped a torn piece of paper into my hand. Shyly she told me that God wanted her to share this verse with me but didn’t know what it meant. After I read the verse, I knew exactly what God wanted us to do. The Scripture verse that she shared with me has come true!
If someone asks to share a prophetic word with you listen to it, BUT align it with God’s word! There are some who speak in the name of God that have no business to. Have you met those people? “God told me to tell you that your dress is wrong.” “God told me to tell you that you need to be planning this activity”. People will abuse God’s name to push their offenses and their agendas.
Still Small Voice
And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19:12 NLT
Be still and know that I am God! Psalm 46:10 NLT
This one is a bit trickier to discern, but with practice you can begin to discern what your thoughts are versus his words. Sometimes, he responds with verses while others just simple answers. It’s hard to silence racing thoughts and to be still long enough to feel or hear the quiet voice of God, but it is possible.
Prayer Language
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. Romans 8:26-27 NLT
I used to hear about a prayer language but was again told that it didn’t exist. That is until one day I was praying with a friend and his mother. They began speaking fervently in a language I had never heard before, and I could tell that it was spiritual. I almost fell out my chair! I couldn’t believe it! After years of casually studying this, I eventually began to pray in this language. Whenever I don’t know how to pray or what I should be praying for, I ask the Holy Spirit to pray and that’s when the language is uttered. It brings peace and comfort to me knowing that the Holy Spirit is heavily involved with my requests because he knows my heart more than I do.
Does God speak? He most certainly does! He speaks through the Scriptures, dreams/visions, prophetic words, still small voice, and prayer language. Now the question is how do we listen and hear his voice? Stay tuned for the next blog in which my daughter, Abbi DeWitt, will answer that question.