As I have studied the word of God during my life, I have read many accounts of God speaking to His people. We know that he spoke directly to Moses, spoke to David through the prophet Nathan, showed himself to Saul and spoke to Him directly on the road to Damascus, and spoke with John the beloved through a dream. There were many other examples where he spoke through angels, burning bushes, and even a donkey to let His people know what He wanted them to do.
The question, I am often asked is “Does He still speak to us today?”, and if He does, how? My “easy” answer to that question is always “Read His word and you’ll hear His voice through it.” Although I believe that to be true, I also believe He may use other mediums to get through to us as well. Maybe another believer who speaks truth in our life’s, maybe a social media post, a book, or that still small voice inside you.
Let me share a recent example in my life. This past Thursday afternoon, God closed a door in my life. The door that closed came as a shock and is definitely life changing for me and my family. I trust God with my life and know His will is always good but when a door closes, questions and fear will naturally set in for most people. That is if you are human. I prayed with my wife for guidance and direction and we decided to take some time before making decisions as to how to move forward. Here’s where the cool God talk started….
Friday morning I woke up as usual, prepared my coffee, and then went out on the balcony with our dog, Jarvis, for my morning rituals. Part of this daily ritual is reading an email devotional thought from someone I follow, Os Hilmam, entitled Today God is First. The title to Friday’s devotional “From Adversity to Destiny.” In it he wrote of how God often allows pain to shape us. God was reminding me He has a plan and a purpose…just trust.
Today, after my morning ritual I decided to catch up on some of the Tour De France that I have been recording, while doing some research and other stuff on the computer. When I went to the recordings list on the DVR, I noticed a recording from a series “Chase the Lion” on TBN. Now 2-3 weeks ago, I did not know the series existed. I saw a FB post a few weeks back from my favorite christian worship artist, Michael W. Smith stating he was going to be highlighted on TBN that evening. Either during that event or when surfing for it I noticed the Chase the Lion series. Having read Mark Battersons book, I clicked the button to record the series. As I looked at the titles to the recordings for the first time, the very first recording, recorded days before my door closing Thursday, was titled…” The Door to the Future.” It was all about how when God closing doors and how we should respond to it.
They were several other incidents that occurred between Thursday afternoon and today that I could share but I think you get the idea. God sets things in motion long before we see them. He can accomplish in a day what takes us 100’s even 1000’s of days to accomplish. I believe He prepares in advance what we need to hear so that when the uncertain comes along, we have the answers and encouragement we need if we only look and listen.
So, yes, God does still speak to us today. The big and more important question is “Are we listening?”
Be awesome!