I have spoken many times about how I've felt God speaking to me on this matter or that. When doing so, I've tried to be very careful about what I've explained to others about a moment of time when God has spoken to me. There have also been many times when He hasn't necessarily spoken to me, but based upon my very limited knowledge, I've expressed my opinions about what I believe He might say about a certain situation.
It's very important to know the difference between the two, and to be consistent in describing each for what they are without confusing them.
I've had people look at me in very peculiar ways when I've said that God has spoken to me. Some have even thought I may have completely lost my mind. Many people believe that those of us who claim to have been spoken to by God are one step away from the loony bin. They listen to what we're saying, thinking all along about how we might look in a padded cell, wearing a straight jacket.
Keep in mind that when I say that God has spoken to me, I'm not talking about hearing voices in my head. I'm talking about situations where I've prayed earnestly, asking God for His guidance, and within a relatively short period of time, I'll hear something that answers my questions immediately upon hearing it. Sure, I could chalk this up as being mere coincidence, but when it happens repeatedly, speaking to me very clearly and specifically, there comes a point where coincidence is no longer a reasonable option.
I've had people dismiss these things, stating that they've reached out to God, asking for Him to reveal Himself to them, and they've received no answer whatsoever. I'm sure that in their own hearts, they truly believe this to be true. But sometimes I wonder if there's more to this than meets the eye.
First and foremost, we have to understand that when God speaks to us, He will almost always do so through one of two ways. He will do so through reading His word, and/or through what is said to us by other people who know Him. But what if we immediately reject His word, or reject the words of His people? How then is He supposed to speak to us?
Imagine that a young boy was watching his father prepare to paint their living room. The son wants to learn how to paint, so he asks his father to show him how it's done.
The father, absolutely eager to teach his son a new skill, agrees and pulls him near. He grabs a roller pan and pours the paint into it. The son, confused by this, asks why he's doing that. The father replies by saying that in order to get the paint on the wall, you have to first put it on the roller, which he then holds up to show him. The son stares at this odd contraption, completely confused by it's appearance.
"That's not how I would do it." The son replies. "That makes no sense at all."
The father, in his patience, doesn't argue. He doesn't ask his son how he would do it. He simply repeats the fact that this is how it's done. He then grabs a paint brush, dips it in the paint, and spreads some paint on the wall. This action appears even more ridiculous to the son.
"Why in the world would you do it like that?!?" The son protests. "That's just plain stupid."
The father doesn't become aggravated or impatient. He simply continues to show the son the right way, regardless of his son's opinions of how it should be done. He continues to show his son how it's done, step by step, until the entire room is finished. The son doesn't accept any of it, and immediately dismisses his father's instructions. He questions his father's knowledge and intelligence, and in the end, he has learned nothing and assumes that his questions need to be answered elsewhere.
I truly believe that this scenario plays out in the lives of many people who claim to have reached out to God for guidance, and have received no answer whatsoever. Why do I believe this? Because of the following verses:
"Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away." John 6:35-37
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8
If you are someone who has sincerely prayed, asking God to reveal Himself to you, and you feel as though you've received no response whatsoever, I would ask that you do one simple thing. Think back upon what you've seen, heard, or read since then, and then think about what your immediate response was after hearing those things.
Did you, like this son, immediately dismiss everything you heard as being nonsense? Did you immediately question it's validity? Did you contemplate what you had heard, comparing it to what you've always believed to be true, and then reject it because it didn't fit into what you expected to hear?
If so, then I would highly recommend trying it again, but this time listen intently to what you hear immediately following your prayer. Give it a few days, and see what you are told by those who claim to hear God's voice in their lives. See if you don't hear the same answers repeated by various people, often times without ever asking them to give you their thoughts on the matter.
If you've never done this, why not do it right now? What's stopping you? Is it fear of the unknown? Is it the fear that God will suddenly try to turn you into someone you don't believe you could ever be?
What it comes down to is this: God does not lie. When He says that He will never turn away those who honestly seek Him, He means it. I've seen Him respond to my prayers countless times, in countless ways. I know this to be true. I also know that I've never regretted calling out to Him, and I have nothing to lose, and nothing to fear in doing so. In fact, I instead have everything to gain.
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