Then God spoke all these words:
Exodus 20:1
Communication is the soul of any relationship you will ever be in. We all have memories of long talks deep into the night, quiet whispers in the busyness of a packed room, or the comforting presence of silence between two people. All these moments and more communicate with those important to you. This is why it is so important that we read the words of Exodus about how God is not silent.
You may be wondering how God is to speak to you.
God speaks in scripture in two manners. First, the scriptures lay out how God has talked to countless individuals over the ages in the pages of the bible. God talked to them; be assured God wants to talk with you. Second, the Holy Spirit leads you in reading scripture to reveal the message of God for you. I have read the Psalms many times, and yet each time these same words reveal a different message for my questions. The bible speaks with the voice of God to you.
Another way God speaks to you is through His people. The wisdom, direction, discernment and the life of other children of God are inspired to communicate God’s voice. In the quiet of my prayer life, the questions and the concerns have been echoed in my fellow Christians, and through their responses, I heard the answer to my prayers. God inspires you to speak and to listen, you are the answer to countless quiet prayers.
The final way I see God speaking, is through the Holy Spirit. This is harder to discern but in practice becomes a clearer messenger of divine direction. Opening our lives to the work of the Holy Spirit allows us to attune our soul’s ear to the voice of God. I have felt the comfort of answered prayers, the nudging of my heart to action; I have felt the comforting presence of God as I nervously walked before a church full of people, and a calm presence of the Holy Spirit stilling my troubled heart.
Now these points are the broad strokes of a personal relationship with God. God is speaking to you, and loving you into His good. Do not stop listening. God is waiting to speak to you.
Blessings
Rev Marc Fraser