Chapter 18 How Does God Speak To Us Today?
I hope that from everything that has been studied so far you will see that the Bible is a vital document that in itself documents the variety of ways in which God communicates with us and how these still apply today.
The other day I had to call in the Sky engineer to fix our satellite dish – every time we got bad weather the picture on our TV started to break up or go off altogether. There was nothing wrong with the signals that were being sent out – the problem was with the receiver! God is constantly communicating with us, but our problem is that we are not “tuned in” to how he might choose to communicate:
- There are times when God very clearly communicates to us through the Bible. This is not some mystical experience, but often just the clear teaching of Jesus, when for example we might be challenged to let go of our anger and exercise forgiveness, because we know this is what Jesus asks of us.
- There are times when God very clearly speaks to us through other people. We are linked to one another as the Body of Christ, and through the Body to Christ the Head. The Head is constantly communicating to each part of the Body and often does that through the various parts in the Body that are inextricably linked together. Often God speaks words of encouragement, direction and even admonition to us through other people – sometimes the people we least expect.
- God speaks to us through His creation – in it we see His glory, power, wisdom and love for all that He has created. Jesus referred again and again to nature as a way of indicating a truth about the nature of God.
- God speaks to our minds by influencing our thoughts and giving specific direction – how often have we “felt” we should go and see a specific person, yet shoved that thought to the back of our minds? What if that was a nudge from God because He needed us to go and see that person?
God wants us to be communicators. He wants us not just to communicate certain propositions about our faith and Jesus but always to communicate something deeper – He wants us to communicate our concern, love and care for the people we come into contact with on a regular basis. He wants us to work hard at good communication within the Body of Christ – especially the oxygen of love that gives energy and life to that Body.
There are times when God simply wants us to be still and know that He is God, and in the quietness of a time set apart each day “tune in” so that we begin to clearly see the big picture and grasp the will of God for our lives.