God communicating - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 3:8,

"A third time the Lord called, 'Samuel!' And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am; you called me.' Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, 'Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."' So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!'"

When the Lord spoke to Samuel, it was audible to him. Samuel heard him just as if he might hear anyone else talking. Such was the case that when the Lord first spoke to him, he went to see what Eli wanted. He assumed it was Eli that was calling him.

This is what is meant when we are told that the Lord spoke to Samuel, "And the Lord said to Samuel..." Verse 11. We are told of a variety of ways the Lord has communicated to certain ones. He has used dreams, visions, even some form of a spiritual transporting, e.g. "And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell." 2 Corinthians 12:3-4. What is astonishing in these accounts is that of the verbal nature of the communication the Lord engaged his prophets with.

John tells us, "On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit,and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: 'Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.' I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me." Revelation 1:10-12. What John heard was so audible that he turned his head to see who was talking!

Such has happened with God's interaction with specific individuals he has chosen to speak to. Audible communication that is heard in the native tongue of the hearer.

I myself, have never audibly heard God speak. I listen to him quite regularly as I read the Scriptures. I also have had very strongly felt "nudges"? or whatever from the Lord as I was certain he was drawing my attention to one thing or another. However, I have never audibly heard the voice of the Lord. 

I have listened to many over the years make a comment along the lines of "The other night the Lord spoke to me and..." My first impulse is to ask them, "Did you hear him audibly? Did he speak to you and you heard him just as we are talking now?" My point in asking has never been to challenge them on the veracity of what follows, but to establish whether they heard the Lord as many have in the past. 

At times I have had the distinct impression that when people say the Lord spoke to them, they don't mean at all like what I read of in the Scriptures. Sometimes I even wonder whether they are aware that God can and has spoken verbally as anyone might. It often turns out that what they mean is that they experienced some form of a spiritual impulse. The problem with casting something like a spiritual impulse or some form of spiritual incitement or even provocation as "the Lord spoke to me" and it wasn't verbal, is that it can confuse those of us who read the Scriptures.

I have never had the Lord speak audibly to me. He certainly could but it has not happened (not yet anyway). But I certainly have had a number of occasions, as I am sure you have as well, when I experienced an impulse from the Lord, an incitement and even, I believe a provocation to act on something he wanted me to do, or whatever.

I guess I am something of a stickler for clarity and accuracy. As such, I often feel that we all, (including me), be a bit more accurate in our accounting of whatever interactions we may have experienced with the Lord.

The amazing thing, the exciting thing, the astonishing thing, is that the Lord has made it his practice of communicating with us, whether verbally, as in Samuel and John's case, or through spiritual "nudges", impulses, incitements and provocations. For me, it can be anytime, but most often as I have my nose in the Scriptures.

How about you?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com