When God Speaks

In the beginning, God spoke, and everything came into being:

Light, stars, oceans, vegetation, flying birds, creeping reptiles, and warm-blooded mammals (Genesis 1).

“God spoke into the nothing and it became something. Chaos heard it and became order; darkness heard it and became light…. The said accounts for the so. The so is the said put into the continuous present.”
—A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, 71

This is our God—the One who speaks, and everything listens, obeys, and falls into order.

Except us.

God speaks, and we rebel.

God loves, and we reject.

God calls out, and we plug our ears.

The voice of God is the most powerful force known to humanity. Yet rather than worship Him for it, we often seek to understand and harness it for ourselves. Rather than being moved to awe and faith, we are moved to examine, investigate, and discover how He does it.

“Our thought habits are those of the scientist, not those of the worshiper.”
—A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, 73

We want to explain more than we want to adore.

How can we hear the voice of God today?

First, the Holy Spirit dwells within every believer, nudging, correcting, revealing, and teaching within the heart. We must not forget this great gift and Helper.

Second, the voice of God has been recorded in Scripture. We must continually look to the Word of God to teach us more about the person of God and to help us recognize His voice.

Do you open the Bible expecting God to speak to you through it?

Hebrews 4:12 states:

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The Bible is not merely a classical relic to be studied in literature classes. It is the Word of God, and it calls for a response each day from those who have committed themselves to following God’s lead.

“Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, “Speak, for thy servant heareth.” Let me hear Thee speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of Thy Voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Thy speaking Voice. Amen.”