Does God Still Speak To Us?

Do you ever wonder if God still speaks to us today? Like really speaks to us? 

When I think of some examples of God speaking, I think about when he showed up to Moses in a burning bush and commissioned him to go and rescue His people. Or when he revealed to the virgin Mary through one of his angels that she would conceive of a son, named Jesus, who would be the Son of God. Or the time he caused the scales to fall from Paul’s eyes so that he finally understood Jesus truly was the Son of God and he was wrong in his persecution of the Christians.

These are major, huge, pivotal moments in history. And there are countless stories of God speaking to his people in the bible, in both big and small ways. He didn’t just speak to ‘important’ people. No. Do you remember who showed up at his manger after he was born? The shepherds. Men who took care of sheep weren’t particularly important or distinguished members of society. Yet they were invited to this momentous, sacred, unbelievable moment in history. There is no criteria for who God speaks to. He longs for relationship with us all.

Sometimes hearing God’s voice seems impossible to us. Why is that? We seem to think we need to work hard to figure out how to hear his voice. Like it’s this big mystery. But I think its a lot more simple than that. 

I’ve been thinking about what it means for us to simply reach out to Jesus. Because, when it comes down to it, he simply desires relationship with us. 

“Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. -Matthew 9:20-22

This poor woman had suffered for years. I’m sure she questioned God. I’m certain she felt angry about her condition at times, that she would pray and nothing would change. Yet, in this moment, she sees an opportunity to reach out to Jesus. She touches the edge of his cloak. And He tells her that her faith has healed her. 

Why didn’t Jesus heal this woman’s plight sooner? Why didn’t he reach out to her in that moment? I don’t know the answers to those questions. What I do see and the truth I love in this story is that it matters that we reach out to Him. He takes notice. He loves us. And he wants a relationship with us. He will never ignore us. I also see that, when we have even a tiny, little bit of faith, this is pleasing to Him.

So when I come back to this question, does God still speak to us today? Yes. Absolutely. He speaks in His time and in His way, but He absolutely speaks. I have most definitely had seasons where his voice has been quieter, even silent at times. I think God has his reasons for this and those seasons serve a purpose. But perhaps, he’s simply waiting for you to reach out to Him in faith. Maybe there’s actually a lot he wants to say to you right now. 

I think where we tend to give up is when we think “Well, I don’t know if thats my voice or God’s voice?” I started attending a six week workshop on this very topic last week and the pastor said this about that issue… When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we become one with Him. His Spirit comes into our hearts. So if we have a thought and we’re not sure whether it’s God’s voice or our own, we can simply test it. Does this line up scripturally? Is it encouraging and not condemning? Then it can be trusted. I’m sure we get it wrong at times and listen to our own voice instead of God’s. But I also believe He is faithful and, over time, as we learn to hear His voice and distinguish it from our own, it will become more and more clear. Just like how you can distinguish your mom’s voice or your husband’s or your best friend’s on the phone. Over time, it’s unmistakable. 

I hope this encourages you today, especially if you’ve been feeling like the Lord’s voice is quieter or silent in your life right now. He wants to speak to us. He is faithful. We can reach out in faith and trust that the God who created us, knows us intimately, and loves us unconditionally, is listening and will respond.