Does God Speak Today?

How do you hear God for yourself?

Speak, for Your servant is listening.

3 Keys to prepare to hear from God

1 Samuel 3:1–11 (NASB95)

1 Samuel 3:1–11 NASB95

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.

So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy.

And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

1) “Speak, LORD…”

Develop an insistent desire in your heart to hear from the Lord.

......don’t wait until things are dire, instead develop this before thigs become dire

This is consistent with God’s desire to speak to us, to reveal Himself more and more to us:

Jeremiah 33:3 NASB95

‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

The triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — desires to speak to us.

Jesus said

John 16:15 NASB95

“All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

God the Father has made His Son Jesus “Lord of all”

Acts 10:36 NASB95

“The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)—

The Holy Spirit takes from the Lord Jesus’'s fullness and declares things to us.

So Key #1 is to be ever mindful that God desires to impart wisdom, truth, guidance, and more to us.

Our grateful response should be a continual, daily attitude of: “SPEAK, LORD!”

2) “…Your Servant…”

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray to our heavenly Father: “Thy will be done”

Matthew 6:10 NASB95

‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

We are forever the servants of God, the doers of His will.

That is the attitude to take towards Him in any prayer, any petition, any desire to hear from Him.

As you express to the Lord your heartfelt desire to hear from Him (“Speak, Lord”), consider the example of many of the Bible writers, who certainly showed an excellent, God-given ability to discern the voice of God.

These men heard from God at an exquisite level. Under God’s inspiration they wrote many of the books of the Bible! What was the attitude of their hearts? —

...“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus”

Romans 1:1 NASB95

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

… “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”

James 1:1 NASB95

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

… “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ”

2 Peter 1:1

2 Peter 1:1 NASB95

Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

...“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ”

Jude 1:1) …

....“from Jesus Christ…to His servant John”

Revelation 1:1 NASB95

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,

Paul, James, Peter, Jude, John — great men of God who really knew how to hear from God, even at the highest level of hearing and recording inspired Scripture!

How did each of these great hearers of God introduce themselves in the very first verse of their writing?

As “servants”!

Approach God as His servant, desiring and willing to hear from Him whatever in His divine wisdom He wishes to speak to you

and which He wishes you to obey as a good servant does.

So Key #2 is to present yourself to God as His willing servant, desiring to know and do His will.

Your cry to Him is now 2/3 ready: “SPEAK, LORD, YOUR SERVANT…”

Now how does Key #3 complete the wisdom God spoke by the priest Eli?

3) “…Is Listening”

We’ve established that God desires to speak to us.

We’ve seen that our response should be a “Speak, Lord” spoken to Him out of a servant's heart.

But there’s a third key, and without it we'll never be consistently effective at hearing from God.

And that key is: “Speak, Lord, your servant IS LISTENING.”

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, Jesus wrote letters to 7 churches.

To all seven the Lord said,

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The Holy Spirit is willing to speak to us.

Our part is: let’s be LISTENING.

Life in the 21st century can be crushingly busy.

1 Kings 19:11–12 NASB95

So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.

It’s very important that we often stop, put other things aside, and like the prophet Elijah get ourselves “before the Lord” (vs. 11) and listen to His “still small voice” .

As in life generally, when we approach the Lord desiring to hear from Him, apply the wisdom of

James 1:19 and be “quick to listen, slow to speak.”

James 1:19 NASB95

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;

So How does God speak to us today?

God can speak to people in many different ways and guide them with their cooperation.

The Bible is full of stories of God speaking to his people–

God speaking to Adam and Eve in the Garden as he walked and talked with them,

God speaking to Moses from the burning bush,

God speaking to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream.

In each case God told people his will and when God told them what he wanted of them, they were able to consciously participate in it, or they were able to reject it.

Adam and Eve defied God even though they knew what he demanded of them.

Jonah heard from the Lord and ran away.

Abraham heard from the Lord and obeyed.

All through the Bible we see God speaking and giving guidance and instruction.

In all these ways and so many more, God spoke to people and guided them with their cooperation.

Through Jesus

Hebrews 1:1-4 (NASB95)

Hebrews 1:1–4 NASB95

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

This is not past tense but present. And how has God spoken to us through Jesus?

He has revealed himself, his own character and glory, in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Through Jesus God has spoken to us as never before.

John 10:27 NASB95

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

Through His Spirit

Hebrews 3:7 NASB95

Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice,

Through the Bible

The Bible is God’s greatest revelation to His people.

1 Thessalonians 1:5 NASB95

for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

2 Timothy 3:16 NASB95

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

Through Prayer

God also speaks to us when we pray.

Unfortunately, many of us have the mistaken idea that the purpose of prayer is to change God’s mind. We think, “If I can just plead with God long enough and hard enough, He’ll give me what I’m asking for.

” Prayer is not a way to twist God’s arm.

Prayer is God’s means of getting through to us, so that we can do things for Him! As we pray, God takes our focus off of our needs and puts our focus on His love and His power.

Through prayer, God changes our perspective to conform to His purposes; He establishes His priorities for our lives; He leads us into all truth.

Through others

The Bible records many instances in which God used one individual to deliver His message to another individual.

God may speak to you through another individual—a friend, a parent, a pastor, even a stranger.

You would be wise to confirm what you hear God saying by seeking affirmation of that direction through wise, Godly people.

Through Dreams & Visions

Though Our Thoughts percieved thoughts

Conclusion

Hear God’s Voice

Read your Bible; study it to learn God’s ways.

Meditate on Scripture.

Make yourself available to God through prayer.

Worship the Lord.

Be still in His presence.

Invest in your relationship with your heavenly Father.

Be attentive to the ways God is leading you as a member of a local church.

Heed the Godly counsel of trustworthy fellow believers. As you do, you will learn to recognize God’s voice.

There is no shortcut to learning to recognize God’s voice, just as there is no shortcut to mature from infancy to adulthood—it takes time.

Do you want to hear God’s voice?

Then spend time with Him.

The more you are with Him, the better you will know His voice.

Maturity Requires Discipline and Obedience

“The depth of your walk with God is directly proportional to the zeal with which you seek him.

If you seek after God in a halfhearted, inconsistent manner, you cannot expect to hear him speaking at the deepest levels.

But if you will discipline yourself to concentrate on the Lord and if you diligently obey everything he says, then you will be prepared to experience God at an increasingly profound and personal level.

God has invited you to go deeper in your relationship with him. The depth of that relationship ultimately rests with you.”

Jeremiah 29:13 NASB95

‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.