How Does God Speak?

How does God speak to us? How do I know when I am receiving a message from God? 

Sometime ago I did a video on one of the most important moments in history. It’s found in Genesis 12:1 when it says, God spoke to Abraham. We have a speaking God. And what He has to say is the most important message we will ever hear. But when I pondered that passage I wondered, exactly how did God speak? How did Abraham know it was God?  In Genesis 41 Joseph stands before Pharaoh, one of the greatest sovereigns in the world of that day. He accurately interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and it changed the world. But how did Joseph know the correct interpretation? The information had to come from God—Joseph said it did—but how? The text doesn’t say.

In scripture we learn that God speaks in a number of different ways. Let’s examine them. 

One way God speaks is through dreams. When Joseph was a teenager God spoke to him in a dream and even though it didn’t seem like it was going to happen it came true. God still speaks through dreams today. I had a woman in my church who grew up in a missionary home in a Muslim area of Africa. She said it was not unusual for a Muslim to show up at their door, saying he had dreamed of a man in white and was told to come to this house. The man in white is Jesus and many Muslims have come to Christ because of a dream of the man in white.

A second way God speaks is through visions. The scripture distinguishes between dreams and visions. In Isaiah 6 the prophet has a vision in which he sees the Lord. It results in his call to ministry. In Acts 16 Paul receives a vision of a man from Greece asking him to come help those people and Paul does so through the preaching of the Gospel. It is a turning point in history as Christianity moves on to the European continent.

A third way God speaks is through an angel and this happens many times in the Bible. In Judges 7 God sends an angel to visit Gideon and tells him to organize an army for Israel’s deliverance. In Luke 1 a young virgin named Mary is visited by an angel and told she is to bear the Messiah. In Luke 2 a group of shepherds are visited by an angel who tells them where to find the Christ child. Many people today are convinced that God has spoken to them through an angelic visitation.

A fourth way God speaks is through a direct, audible voice. In 1 Samuel 3 God speaks directly and personally to Samuel telling him of judgment on Eli’s house. The great Presbyterian apologist, Francis Schaeffer, said that on at least two occasions he felt God spoke to him in an audible voice.

Fifth, God speak to us through miracles, signs, and wonders. Jesus convinced many of the truth of His message this way. In fact, in John 14 he told his disciples to believe His words, but if that wasn’t enough they were to trust Him because of the works He had done. Countless times in the Bible we see God speaking this way and today, all over the world, God continues to declare Himself through miracles.

Sixth, God speaks to us through other people; namely, His prophets. How many times have you listened to a message and sensed God speaking to you? Often God gives pastors a prophetic voice to speak His truth into your life. I know there can be false teaching from the pulpit but right now I am thinking about those millions of times God has spoken his truth through pastor’s sermon, or a helpful book, or video, or podcast.

Seventh, God speaks through circumstances. In 1813 the British missionary Adoniram Judson was forced to leave India. He went to Burma where he became a legend. To this day he is revered by the tribal people of that country. God used circumstances to place Judson in the center of His will.

Eighth, the preeminent way God has always spoken is through His word, the Bible. In Psalm 119 we read, Your Word O Lord is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my way. 99% of the guidance you need you will get from the Bible. It is God’s loudest speaking voice. 

Ninth, God speaks to us within our hearts. I now there are dangers here. Many, many times people have claimed God was speaking to them when clearly He was not. Even today, when someone says God is leading them to do such and such I view that statement with suspicion. Nonetheless, God does speak into our hearts and gives us a sanctified intuition regarding His will. How do I protect myself from going astray? Check to see if your intuition, your internal guidance, lines up with the other ways God speaks. What kind of council have you received from godly people? What does the Bible have to say about your decision? Trust me, there is not an issue you are dealing with the Bible does not address. What kind of circumstances has God placed before you? If these line up then I think we are free to go forward with the way we feel God is leading us.

Remember, the most important factor: God speaks. He will speak to you. He is speaking to you right now.

Thank you for listening. May our great God, the God who speaks, bless you this day in a mighty way.

More Resources: Our God is a Speaking God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-riZy9k7CRE&t=224s

Eric Metaxas’ excellent book on miracles: https://www.amazon.com/Miracles-What-They-Happen-Change-ebook/dp/B00INIXMGA/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1E8JXP4A0LBUK&keywords=metaxas+miracles&qid=1653066173&sprefix=metaxas+miracle%2Caps%2C424&sr=8-1