Hey Andy, I’ve been a Christian for many years now, and I continue to hear Christians talk about how “God told them this” or “God told them that”, but I don’t understand. How on earth do I know when God is talking to me? I always wanted to know and have asked several Christians, but they could never really answer me. I want to know how exactly do I know if “God is telling me something”? Lord knows, I don’t hear some Audible voice saying to do this and do that, so how am I suppose to know or get the answers that I seek when I don’t know how to tell if it’s from God, or my own little voice in my head?
Hi! You know, there’s an old song from Third Day called “Still Listening”, where he sings, “I looked for You in the fire and in the wind, but You weren’t there as far as I could see. I thought I’d hear You shout, but then I figured it out, that all along You were whispering to me; and I’m still listening.” You see, the Lord communicates with His people in many different ways, and many are not similar to others. In fact, it’s possible that God is talking to you already, and you just don’t recognize it.
Ways God Speaks to His People
Let me ask you this: What brought you to Jesus in the first place? The answer is Jesus – somehow, Jesus communicated to you that you needed Him.
I’ve spoken to some Christians who’ve said that God speaks to them through their “inner voice”, or their “gut feeling”. For me, it’s never the audible voice, but more of a “pulling” feeling in a certain direction, but He doesn’t always talk to me that way, for sometimes I’ll ask a question, then suddenly the answer will come to me; or sometimes I’ll be talking about something and feel like it’s not me talking; sometimes He speaks to us through other people; sometimes He’ll speak to us in songs; and sometimes Jesus will talk to me as I’m reading His Word (the Bible) – I’ll wonder something and He’ll either help me understand it, point me into the direction where I can find the answer, or put something on my mind and make sure that I write it all down. And sometimes, when I’m trying to write it all down, the thoughts will come to my mind too quickly and I’ll say, “Lord, slow down! I can’t write that fast!” Haha.
Check out 1 Kings 19, when Elijah was on the mountain. The Lord’s voice wasn’t in the fire or the storm or the earthquake, but in the silence. So in Elijah’s experience, God is talking to him in a completely different way that he’s expecting — God is talking not in the fire and the wind, but in the calmness of the silence.
I’m sure God is talking to you, but maybe you just don’t recognize it because you’re expecting to hear God’s booming voice, or looking for His voice in the fire, but instead He’s whispering in the quiet? Or maybe you’re like a bench-warmer — you’re ready to get in the game, but you haven’t been called yet. Either way, when God wants to tell you something, you’ll hear it. But when you do, be ready to respond to it in obedience – be ready to get off that bench and go where He sends you!
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