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Hearing God Lesson #2
God speaks in many different ways, think of it as His languages. We have all overheard people speaking foreign languages and understood to varying degrees what they were saying. It is pretty much the same with God.
Job 34 says:
For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.
How then does God speak? Both the New and Old Testament have many examples of God speaking though He isn’t confined to speaking in these ways. The most advantageous thing we can do is get to know Him through the Bible and prayer. As we get to know God in these ways we will better recognize His languages when He speaks – keeping in mind anything God says will not contradict the Bible. I will go through some examples in the Bible of how God speaks and add personal experiences as we go, starting with God’s audible voice since it is the first account recorded in the Bible of God speaking to man.
The first time I heard an audible voice (it could have been God or an angel) was in 1985. I was driving my car on a back road in Oregon; it was dark and I was coming upon an “S” curve when a voice from the backseat yelled “DEER!”! (I thought I was alone)… I of course slowed way down and right there in the middle of the “S” curve was a deer. I believe God saved my life that night!
Over the course of walking with God now for almost 32 years I have heard an audible voice (if I counted right) 8 times – 3 of them are still a mystery to me, 1 I understood as time went by and the others made sense immediately. By talking to others I understand this is rare to hear Him audibly at all… But even 32/8 = is only about every 4 years. When God did speak audibly it was always very short and precise like “DEER” instead of “Hey, Berta there is a deer in the road right in the middle of the “S” curve so how about slowing down so you don’t die tonight.” This is my experience with the audible voice of God, of course He can do whatever He wants and could speak in volumes audibly to others.
What I would like you to take away from this is that God rarely speaks audibly but most young Christians are looking for the audible voice, hence frustration and disappointment and often a missing of the voice of God as He speaks in other ways.
Remember – Hebrews 11:6 God rewards those who seek Him!
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