Have you ever wondered whether God speaks to us? And if he does, how? I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard the audible voice of God. He has never spoken to me that way and I suspect that he doesn’t speak to most that way. So, what do well-intentioned Christians mean when they say that God spoke to them? This can be confusing to those who interpret Christian lingo literally. They may begin to wonder why God chooses to speak to others but decides not to speak to them. What I think many Christians mean when they say that God spoke to them, is that he stirred something in their heart, or that he revealed something to their mind. I would agree that God certainly speaks to many of us that way. If you think that God has never spoken to your heart, might I suggest it is because you aren’t truly listening? Look at how God communicated to Elijah in first Kings chapter 19, verses 11 and 12. It says:
“The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”
Elijah was a prophet. And in Bible times, God spoke to the prophets in many different ways; sometimes audibly, sometimes in dreams or visions, and sometimes in ways that spoke directly to their minds and hearts. Today, God speaks to us as well. We just need to know how he speaks to us and we need to know when it is him and not something else. As for me, sometimes God chooses to speak through others, sometimes he speaks through his word, and sometimes he speaks directly to my mind and my heart in a gentle whisper; a whisper so fleeting that if I wasn’t paying attention I might miss it. My question to you is, “are you listening”? I believe that God speaks to every believer. But I’m convinced that not all of us hear him.
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Is God speaking to you? Are you listening for his voice? He may not speak in a loud booming voice to get your attention. He may not speak audibly to you at all. He may choose to whisper to your Spirit in such a way that you know it is him. Jesus says that his sheep will know his voice. We are his sheep. Do you know when he is speaking to you? If you don’t, I encourage you to pray that God open your eyes to how he communicates to you. After all, it could be that all this time, you just weren’t listening to the whisper.
