A lot of people talk about how and when God answers prayers and today was one of those days where I could see God acting fast after I had prayed. I asked him last night to let me have a chance to speak for him and bring the Gospel to a friend of mine. This morning, he cleared all road blocks and I found myself having lunch alone with the very person I had prayed about.
Our conversation started about work and it soon turned to God and he said he was open and exploring and trying to learn about God. I started sharing from my own life, trying to explain about my relationship with God and I gave details about how God would give me specific directions or how he would give me very specific answers to questions I had. This floored my friend.
"God talks to you?" he asked in disbelief. "How do you know it's not your own thoughts?"
I have been asked that many times before. I've even asked myself that question. I know that God speaks in many ways but I told my friend the key was this: it all starts with a personal relationship with God. "Just as I am speaking to you now," I told him, "I know that you're talking to me, I know who you are, I know what you're like. We have a friendship and when you speak to me, I know it's you."
It is the same with God. It starts with a relationship. It starts with getting to know God better. And as you learn more about him and what he is like, when he speaks to you, you will know.
In my own experience, God has spoken to me many times through his word, the Bible. This is not some random page flipping and finger-pointing exercise. Rather, as I study the word of God, he gives me a deep impression on certain verses and I know he has a specific word for me.
God also speaks to me by impressing upon me certain thoughts. Like this morning, I felt compelled to ask my friend to lunch. The first time God impressed upon me to do so, I was reluctant. I felt I didn't have the energy. But God persisted. So I asked my friend if he had plans with his usual lunch gang. Turns out that he was going to have lunch alone! Immediately I knew God was answering my prayer from last night. When we got to our lunch place, we ran into a group of colleagues and I thought I wouldn't get the chance to speak to him alone but God worked through that and my friend picked another table so that we could be alone. And it all started with me asking God for an opportunity and he cleared the way, even to the point of helping me get the gumption to ask my friend out to lunch. God had impressed upon my heart saying, "You asked for a chance, now here's your chance."
God also speaks to me through others. I've had occasions when friends would come up to me to share a thought or an experience and I knew that God had sent them as part of my conversation with him. (Sometimes I realise this days later!) God likes to work through people and he does by sending a word through other believers. My wife has had occasions when a friend would go up to her and say, "God made me think of you and I wanted to share this with you..." And the message shared really filled a need or answered a question.
Hebrews 1:1,2 says: Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.
Ultimately, we should expect God to be pretty creative in the ways he communicates with us. But it starts with us having a relationship with his son, Jesus Christ.
John 10:27 says: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
When we have that relationship with Jesus, when we become his sheep, we will know his voice. We will recognise him when speaks to us, whether it's through his word, or in a dream, or through another person. God definitely speaks to us. We have to learn to recognise his voice and respond.
