Saturday, 25 August 2012
Have you ever heard God speak?
The first lesson of The Gospel Project reminds us that we worship a God who speaks, not some speechless idol that others may worship. Have you ever thought about what it means that God speaks?
Some people have had experiences in which they believe God has spoken to them in an audible voice. For most of us, however, God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit, an inward voice or prompting. That voice often comes through Bible study, prayer, circumstances and the church, as Henry Blackaby points out in his widely acclaimed “Experiencing God” study.
But these “normal” ways of God speaking to us today do not rule out the other. We must remember that God is not without a voice. The Bible records several times when He spoke aloud to people; what God said to them had a tremendous impact on their lives. Can you think of two or three? What about Moses at the burning bush, Paul on the road to Damascus, and Jesus at His baptism (read Matthew 3:16-17)?
Whether God speaks to us audibly or in some inward way, the most important thing for us is to listen and obey.
Hebrews 1:1-4 tells us that the most powerful statement God has ever made was not just with a voice, but through a person. In these last days, the Bible says, God has spoken to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.