When God speaks

[coksiw]

When God spoke to people in the Bible, sometimes it tells you in details how it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. If we want to know how God speaks, then we should go to those instances that we have details about.

In many occasion, e.g. Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, we can see that they have a vision, and in that vision, they see and hear, or they only hear. What they hear is an audible voice. In the Book of Acts, the Lord Jesus appeared in a night vision (dream) to Ananias, and spoke. In those instances, we have the Lord speaking directly. In many other instances, including in the Book of Acts, we see angels coming instead with the message.

God directly speaking in the Scriptures, Old and New Testament, is a big deal. Angels come many times with the message instead of the direct voice of God.

The Spirit also communicate with us in other ways, which are a lot more frequent and common. The Scriptures uses words like “moves”, “leads”, “reveals”, “opens your understanding”, “brings to remembrance”, “produces the desire”, etc… The Spirit guides us to repentance, to have faith, to understand God’s will, and that’s a powerful experience. The Spirit may also come with power over a prophet and inspires him or her to speak.

Biblical speaking, I don’t think I can say that “God told me” when He is simply guiding me with his Spirit. I used to while back because everybody did it, but stopped saying it. I find it a little bit too much to insinuate that the Spirit of God guiding me is equal to the experience the great prophets and some saints in Acts had, where they did hear the voice of God in visions or dreams. I have had audible experiences before but they are extremely rare. If God is guiding me, I just do or say what He is guiding me to do or say (or understand). I do it in faith, knowing that came from God and it will turn out good. I don’t bother saying “God guided me to” or anything like that.

The Spirit of God may guide us and strive with our will, so we follow what it is good. But when you hear the voice of an angel of God, or even the voice of God himself, there is no striving with your own will at that point; you better don’t, you may go mute Zacharias.

Thoughts?