How does God Speak to Us?

Maybe you’ve been urgently pleading with God to give you wisdom or direction on an issue or topic. Or, perhaps something interesting just happened and you aren’t quite sure what God is trying to say through it or if he’s trying to say anything at all. So, how does God speak to us? Should we look for writing in the sky? What about an audible voice? Or maybe a dream?

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how exactly God will speak to you. He may speak through one of these ways, or through something vastly different. But I hope I can give you a few tips so you can discern if it is God speaking and what he might be saying.

Two Extremes

There’s two extreme camps that people can easily fall into. In the first camp, people will say that God never speaks audibly or reveals himself to us. In the second camp, people will read into every little situation and try to discern God’s voice out of things that God might not even be speaking through. I believe both sides hold an element of the truth, but I think a healthier perspective is to rest in the middle. I’ll explain why.

If we look through the Bible, we see God speak to people in a number of ways. God spoke audibly to Adam (Genesis 2-3), Cain (Genesis 4), and later to Abraham (Genesis 17). Through dreams God also spoke to Abraham (Genesis 15), Jacob (Genesis 28), and Joseph (Genesis 37). God also spoke several times through visions to Peter (Acts 10), Paul (Acts 16:9), and John (Revelations).

God seems to speak in a variety of creative ways as well too. He spoke to the Israelites out of thunder and lightning (Exodus 20), to Moses through a bush (Exodus 3), he quite possibly wrestled with Jacob (Genesis 32), and he basically spoke to Balaam through a donkey (Numbers 22).

The only conclusion we can really draw from all this is that God is not limited in how he speaks to us. But, I believe that if God spoke in the past then he can certainly speak again now. Especially if he spoke prophetic words to believers in the New Testament who weren’t apostles (Acts 11:27-28). However, people who don’t believe God speaks audibly or through prophecies do have a valid point. We have the Bible now with us, and God most definitely uses his word to speak to us. At the same time, they are also concerned that believers might read too much into something and believe God is saying something when he isn’t. I’ve definitely witnessed this personally.

How Does God Speak to Us?

We need to be careful. We shouldn’t be overly assumptive that God is speaking to us through shapes in clouds. I one time spent a lot of time asking God for wisdom in a decision, and I felt him say “Your answer is down in the laundry room.” I eagerly ran downstairs and after some searching I noticed a dial on the drier with yes and no for the only options, which is odd since it seems the options should be on or off. Sadly, the knob was turned to no. 

Was God speaking through that moment? I certainly thought so at the time, but looking back, I’m not so sure. I believe he certainly could’ve used that dial to speak to me, but was that God or my youthful excitement to have a divine encounter with God?

At the same time, we need to be careful we aren’t assuming that God is speaking through our emotions. Now, I don’t want to discredit emotions, God certainly can speak through them. However, more often than not, my emotions lead me away from God’s desire for me. Fear always springs up when I know God is calling me to take a wild step of faith. Apathy tempts me not to work my hardest, and happiness often distracts me. I sometimes have a false sense of peace, and I often mistake selfish desires with joy.

However, I can confidently claim that God’s spoken to me a lot through other people. Sometimes I’ve heard him through what felt like an audible voice, though I believe it was more so a revelation in my heart. A few times he’s spoken to me through visions, but I don’t know if I can quite call them visions.

How do We Know When God is Speaking?

A better question is not so much “Does God speak?” or “How does God speak?” but rather, “How do we know when God is speaking?” The more you listen by reading and following his word and giving him time to speak, the more you will be able to discern his voice. I’m no expert at this, but I’ve grown a lot in my ability to recognize when he’s speaking to me through his word or simply through my own thoughts. But even if we are absolutely certain it’s God’s voice, we should still check it by turning back to God’s word. Does it line up with what God says in the Bible? 

Even here we must be cautious. There’s a lot of confusing verses in the Bible that we can easily misinterpret. After all, Satan misquoted the Bible to tempt Jesus. Just because one verse agrees with what you believe God just said, that doesn’t mean it’s God’s voice. Check if it lines up with the Bible as a whole. Make sure it lines up with God’s two main commands that Jesus shares in Matthew 22:37-39, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

As we follow God, confess our sins, and give him time to speak to us each day, God will speak. It may take some time, it might not even be some grand moment, it might even take place over months as God slowly molds and shapes our hearts. In the end God knows how to reach you, and if you are diligently following him and listening for his calling, he will guide you when the time is right. Only by accurately following God’s word and obediently following God’s calling can we truly live wilder.

If you’d like this blog post, you will probably also enjoy my past post Hearing God’s Voice

Or you can check out my last blog post God Desires to Use You!