A Gentle Whisper

Does God speak to us? Some people would say he does, while others would disagree. Many people have read about people in the Bible encountering God, but they do not believe that he still speaks to us today. But is this really true, or can we, in the year of 2018, still hear God’s voice just as clearly as Simon Peter and the other Christians of the early church did?

In the book of John Jesus says that, “the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have said to you.” ( John 14 : 26 ). God has sent the Holy Spirit to counsel and guide us. He is God’s way of communicating with us. In other words, God speaks to us through his Holy Spirit.

A common reason why many people think that God doesn’t speak to us is because they don’t know how to recognize his voice. The Holy Spirit is constantly speaking to us, but we aren’t paying attention. In the Bible in 1 Samuel, a young boy named Samuel learns to recognize God’s voice. Samuel was living in the Temple and being raised by the high priest, Eli. One night when Samuel was lying in bed he heard someone call his name:

Samuel answered, “Here I am”, and he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I didn’t call; go back and lay down.” So he went and lay down.

Again the Lord called, “Samuel” and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me?”

“My son”, said Eli. “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

A third time the Lord called “Samuel!” and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘speak Lord for your servant is listening’.’’ So Samuel went and laid down in his place.

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” ( 1 Samuel 3 : 4 - 10).

Samuel heard God calling him, but he thought that is was Eli because he didn’t recognize God’s voice. Just like Samuel, we all need to learn to discern what God’s voice sounds like. Samuel heard an audible voice. I have met people who have encountered God this way, but I have never actually experienced it myself. God usually speaks to us through the Bible, music, other books, or other people. For example, when you are reading the Bible you might come across a verse that says exactly what you need to hear in the moment. This is a common way for God to speak to us. He also might do this when you are listening to music or talking to another Christian friend.

Once when I was sitting in an airplane on my way back to America from China, I heard God’s voice when I was listening to music. I was listening to a song called “Giants Fall” by Francesca Battistelli. A certain line stood out to me that said, “Don’t you be afraid of giants in your way. With God you know that anything is possible. So step into the fight. He’s right there by your side.” I had been struggling with depression and feeling hopeless. God used these line in this song to remind me that he is with me and that he could help me overcome my depression. God has many ways of speaking to us.

Another common way that God speaks to us is by prompting us to do certain things. Often he will give you feeling that you should do something or go a certain place. You might be walking around your school hallways at lunch time one day by yourself. Your friends that you usually hang out with are all gone for some reason. You are looking around as you pass other students in the hall and you just happen to spot another girl about your age sitting is a corner by herself. You don’t know her, but for some reason you are feeling like you should go and try talking to her. God often prompts us to do certain things that might sound silly or unreasonable to us, but he has a reason for everything, and it is important to do what he asks.

God likes to speak to us in many different ways. It might seem like he no longer speaks to us like he did in Bible times, but that is just because we don’t know how to recognize his voice. He isn’t constantly speaking to us. We have to learn how to listen when he is speaking.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our ministry, leave a comment below, check out our website, or email us at cansistersministry@gmail.com.