Hearing from God

Genesis 12:1-4

How does God speak to us?  He is spirit and He has placed His spirit in us, often the way I hear God is by reading the Bible, but that is not the only way, He also speaks through the preaching of His word, by people who write and teach the Scriptures, and sometime by a small voice in our mind.  I will give two examples that are personal to me, one happened many years ago and one took place last summer.

Jan and I were living in Odem, Texas on five acre and had not acquired phone service at the time of this event, so my cousin and her husband drove out to bring us the message that my dad was sick and was taken from work to the hospital.  Jan was not home and had the only car we owned at that time, so my cousin and her husband told me to use their car and they would stay with our baby girl till Jan got home.  My dad was never sick, or in the hospital, and the speed limit was 70 miles an hour, and I always drove faster than the speed limit, yet for some reason I was only going 50 miles an hour and I ask God this question, “Why am I driving so slow, is my dad dead?”  This thought came into my mind, “Bob, your dad is with me, pray for your mother and ask me to make you strong for her.”  And I did, and He was faithful.

This example happened last Summer; my pastor asked for people to help in VBS, and a voice in my head said, “Bob you should do that” and I was quick to replace that thought with little kids, lots of little kids, no thanks little kids scare me.  However, that thought kept coming into my mind, and the day before VBS began, this is what I heard in my mind, “Bob, I have a special blessing for you at VBS, and I love you and do not want you to miss out.”  First let me say that I do not think like that, I like working with young couples, but children frequently do not behave, break things and cause my blood pressure to go up, so I believe that voice I heard had to be God.  My blessing was six cute little girls, third graders, two very active, and one named Taylor who came to me on Friday, and asked how she could have a relationship with God.  She ask how God spoke to people and I told her about how he had spoken to me about VBS, and that she was the blessing God had promised me.

From my birth, mother and dad told me about Jesus, but Abram lived in a godless society, God was not worshiped nor was he taught, and Abram hear God’s voice.  “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”  And verse four states; “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.  Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.  Abram began his walk of faith that would make him the father of a new spiritual people.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice