There are those who are uncomfortable with the idea that God would speak to them. They would admit that God speaks to others but never to them. It is as if they have a personal relationship with someone who never speaks or communicates.
Conversely, there are those who claim that God has spoken to them, and it results in some rather crazy actions. Some even claim that God gives them authoritative messages to give to others. How can we know if the “vision” of some “spiritual leader” is binding on those under their leadership?
It is vital for people to know and recognize that God speaks to them and that it is possible to understand what He is saying. God is sovereign as well as intimate, and He wants us to know who He is and what He is up to. This awareness gives the ability to persevere in and through this life with a lively and realistic hope.
God is constantly speaking to people, and most of them are unaware of it. We must learn to listen for how and when He is communicating to us. Failure to do so severely diminishes any relationship that He has invited us to have with Him.
In our next post we will discuss the ways in which God does speak to us and how it is possible to recognize it, understand it, and respond to it.