Even though atheists like to make a loud noise, most people in our country still believe in God. But there’s a different discussion about God that is not held frequently enough. Can God talk to people?  I submit that most people who believe in some kind of God, never expect this God to actually communicate. Whenever prominent ministers claim God spoke to them, they are immediately renounced as loons. Even some of my favorite conservative radio talk show hosts, who defend the existance of God and the morality of the Bible, have been known to say things like, “If somebody claimed they actually heard God speak to them out of the sky, that would be rather odd.”

And yet, the very Bible they defend is full of accounts that portray God doing just exactly that! He spoke out of the sky to everyone who witnessed the baptism of Jesus. He spoke to Moses out of the burning bush. He spoke to Paul in prison. We call the Bible the word of God because God spoke.

Before I continue; I want to be fair and admit that many popular ministers are loons. When they claim they heard from God or got a vision from God, they should consider the possibility that it may have just been bad pizza from the night before.

But we can’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Yes, the mentally unstable will claim to hear from God, but let me address the mentally stable for a moment:  Please enlighten me. What exactly is inherently illogical about the idea of a God who talks? Humans talk. Are we capable of doing something God cannot do? And if God is capable of talking, why would God remain silent?

The Bible lists a variety of methods through which God communicates.  He can speak audibly (as in the cases listed above) He can also use dreams and visions. He can send prophets or angels.  But His primary method of communication today, (the one Jesus Himself embraced as most ideal), is communication from His Holy Spirit.

I used to say to myself, “Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to be one of Jesus’ original 12 disciples? To be able to follow him around and listen to him teach for three years? Well, believe it, or not, Jesus told his disciples that this was not ideal. After He left the world and after the Holy Spirit came to take His place, they would be experiencing a much better and closer relationship with God. God’s Spirit would indwell them and this same sprit would run His thoughts through their minds (John 16). Admittedly, this  is not as flashy as lightening type special effects. In fact, it is so subtle and personal, we often take it for granted. We get used to the gentle voice of God to the point where it is only a dull murmur in the background to be ignored.

I remember once while praying to God back in college I got very fiesty:  “God, how come you never speak to me? You spoke to Moses! You spoke to Abraham!  Why won’t you speak to me?”

I went on and on, whining like a little kid. Suddenly my thoughts changed and I realized that the Spirit within was speaking. “I’d be happy to talk to you if you would shut up once in a while and allow me to get a word in edgewise.”

This is Bob Siegel, making the obvious, obvious.

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