Does God Still Speak Today?
In the last part of this discourse on how to pray, we saw that most people agree on how to pray to God, but few agree on how we hear God’s voice in response to our prayers. We also covered a variety of scriptures showing that Jesus spoke to the patriarchs of the Old Testament and also spoke to Peter, Paul, Mary, John, and many other New Testament believers in both his incarnate and post-incarnate forms. So, now that Jesus is in to heaven at the right hand of the Father (Acts 7:55, Eph 1:20, Col 3:1, Heb 1:3), does He still speak to us today? If so, how? And through what ears do we hear His voice? Finally, why don’t we all hear Him? Let’s take one question at a time, beginning with “Does Jesus still speak to us today?”
Jesus Has Not Changed
If Jesus spoke to people in the days before he was incarnate on earth, why wouldn’t he still speak today? The author of Hebrews (attributed to Paul) proclaimed in Chapter 13, verse 8, that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” David affirmed this in Psalm 102:27, saying, “But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end…” If Jesus spoke to people throughout history, he is still speaking to people today. The Bible teaching is clear. Jesus has not changed! Jesus is most certainly speaking to people today, although He may not speak in a voice we hear with our physical ears. Jesus spoke to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, and others in a preincarnate form. He spoke to his apostles and others while he was incarnate on Earth. He spoke to Mary and at least 500 others prior to his ascension. He spoke to Paul from heaven in a cloud. But since that time, we haven’t had any scriptures recorded of His physical incarnation or His speaking from a cloud. That doesn’t mean He hasn’t appeared or spoken from a cloud, but it means the Biblical record is finished. There is nothing to add to the scriptures. What we need to remember is that Jesus is unlimited by time, space, and form. He can come to us in any form he chooses.
How Does Jesus Speak Today?
The scriptures do indicate that there are other methods of communication, though. Jesus can speak to us through other believers, pastors, friends, and so on. He speaks through angels, as He has done throughout history. He speaks through scriptures, especially when we are studying and praying for an answer. Before He died, Jesus promised the disciples that He would send a comforter to them, and that they would learn all truth from the Him. John 16:13 says: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” The Comforter is none other than the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of our triune Godhead, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Jesus told his disciples that after he left them, he would still be with them in spirit: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” (John 15:26) So, the main way that Jesus speaks to his followers today is through the Holy Spirit.
Through what “ears” do we hear Him?
If Jesus speaks to us through the Holy Spirit speaking of what He hears, how do we hear Him? One of the best descriptions of this is told in the Old Testament account of Elijah: “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” I (Kings 19:11-12) This still, small voice was the Holy Spirit. He is the inner voice that speaks to our spirits and teaches and guides us into all truth. He is the One who completes the work of sanctification in us.
When we become believers, we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit in us speaks to our spirits and leads us into righteousness. As long as we are attuned to Him, He communes with us. Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” The Holy Spirit speaks to us through our spirit and leads us into all truth through the scriptures, through the words of others leaving a strong impression on you, through experiences that “teach” you, and more. John 14:26says, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”The Holy Spirit is Jesus in us, teaching and guiding us. As long as we are attuned to Him, He communes with us. I am reminded of the familiar old hymn by Clara Scott:
Open the eyes of my heart
Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
Refrain
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine.
Some may refute the claim that the Holy Spirit dwells within us as believers, but let me remind you that evil spirits are known to indwell individuals (as depicted often in the New Testament as well as in popular books and even media such as the Exorcist)! If evil spirits can indwell people, then how much more can the Holy Spirit indwell us! Romans 8:14 says, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” If we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, it is a sign that we are sons of God. Isaiah 30:21 says, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” Have you ever felt a strong urge to avoid something and later found out an accident occurred there? Or perhaps you were supposed to be somewhere at a certain time and were delayed by an inner sense of uneasiness, keeping you from some other type of disaster. These are examples of ways the Holy Spirit guides and protects. As you become attuned to His urging, you will recognize His voice more clearly, giving you guidance for living.
If God is still speaking to us, why don’t we all hear him?
The best answer to this question has to do with attunement. Attunement means harmony. We are all familiar with “tuning” an instrument, bringing it into harmony with the other instruments in an orchestra or a tuning fork. In relationships, attunement also means harmony, a state where one individual can “sense” what another individual is thinking or feeling. Married couples can often look at each other and convey their love without words, and we have all seen parents raise their eyebrows and convey a silent message to each other when their child misbehaves. However, individuals who are not so attuned cannot decipher such messages. Your boss, for example, might look at you and leave you wondering, “What?” John 8:47 gives a scriptural example of attunement, saying, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” And John 10:27 claims, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” The first stanza of one of my favorite songs as a teen was this:
Turn your Radio On
Come and listen in to a radio station
Where the mighty host of heaven sing
Turn your radio on (Turn your radio on)
Turn your radio on (Turn your radio on)
If you want to hear the songs of Zion
Coming from the land of endless spring
Get in touch with God
Turn your radio on (Turn your radio on)
Albert Brumley
This song describes the process of attunement like tuning in to a heavenly radio station! I still love that analogy! What if you are trying to tune in but can’t? Jesus anticipated this and taught in the sermon on the mount to ask: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 David wrote in the Psalms, “The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on Him in truth.” – Psalm 155:18 If you earnestly desire to draw closer to God and to hear his voice, you must ask, seek, knock. This prayer, when prayed with all sincerity, will always be answered, praise God.
*Although not definitive, there is strong support for Paul being the author of Hebrews in addition to the other Pauline epistles.
From Peggy's Pen 