I would suspect that very few of us have heard the audible voice of God, but there may be some who have. The pages of our Bibles are littered with references to God speaking – ‘and God said’; the Lord said to …..; and so. There are also occasions when God was speaking into a situation, yet His voice was not recognised.
I was reminded again of the story of young Samuel – you are all familiar with the story. God had something to say, but Samuel, for a number of justifiable reasons, needed some help in realising it was God, Himself, who had a specific message for him.
God spoke to Moses through a bush that was on fire, yet it wasn’t burning out. He spoke at the Baptism of Jesus. On occasions, God used angels to bring His message. The Apostle Paul heard Jesus speaking to him ‘en- route’ to wipe out the church in Damascus; and in Numbers 22:28, God even gave Balaam’s donkey the ability to speak His message!!!
Elijah, after his defeat of the Prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18, instead of being ‘on a high’, was found having a ‘one-man pity-party’ in a cave!! God spoke to Elijah in a ‘gentle whisper’ to reassure him.
I have never heard the audible voice of God, but I have heard, on occasions, God speak very clearly to me! Sometimes the message is one of guidance, reassurance, confirmation and at times, a gentle chastisement.
I have often read and re-read something in Scripture and I’ve seen something that I’ve never seen before, no matter how familiar the passage of Scripture might be. It’s almost a case of God using His heavenly highlighter pen to get my attention!!
God speaks to us, through the Holy Spirit, but uses different methods. Maybe through reading God’s Word, listening to a sermon, the words of a song, words from another brother or sister in Christ, even dreams and visons, or maybe it’s just a strong feeling or prompting.
At that moment it’s important that we stop and ask God what He’s saying directly to us. God speaks in different ways and uses different methods because is not limited in how He speaks. It’s vitally important that we ask God to speak to us and when He does, we listen and act upon what we have heard.
How extraordinary it is when we receive a clear word from God; how special and loved it makes us feel when He who created the universe speaks a word to us personally. So, be encouraged to listen for His voice as He speaks to you, Spirit to spirit.
‘Speak Lord in the stillness, while I wait on thee,
Hush my heart to listen, in expectancy’……