Does God Speak?

The statement that “God works in mysterious ways” is something that I have recently thought much about. Even in our prayer life we say that “prayer is talking to God” yet when we look at God talking to us, it becomes “suspect” at the very least. Somehow, you can’t be in your right mind if you “hear from God.” Not that there is an audible voice, but often when we sense God speaking to us in our lives, we in most instances, feel that we need to keep it to ourselves, lest someone think we're crazy or a fanatic.

I have recently been experiencing God “speaking” to me about various circumstances that are going on in my own life and ministry. Take for instance, my message that I’m going to preach this Sunday about worship. And as I have been studying and praying this vast subject, I have come across many instances where God has "spoken" to me.

For instance, in my daily devotions this very day, I was reading my daily Psalm and just by “happenstance” it was Psalm 50. Psalm 50 has much to teach us in a very powerful way both about our future state and our present walk with our Lord. The first four verses we have God exploding unto the scene. I believe this is set in the context of when Christ will burst unto the scene to judge and set up His millennial kingdom. Nevertheless, I for one, would love for God to burst into my life, especially under extreme circumstances where I am needing desperately to “hear” from Him. Yet He is strangely and wonderfully silent. This is not my main point in this discussion, but I believe He wants us to develop our ears of faith and to hear that “still small voice.”

Anyway, the point of my discussion is worship and of course what this Psalm is saying is that our worship is ALL about Him! In addition, this Psalm goes on to talk about unworthy worship, which by the way, is the title to my message this coming Sunday – “What is Unworthy Worship?” and this Psalm is not my text, but here is an example where God is without a doubt “speaking” very clearly to me. Scripture is and must be the principle way of God’s still small voice, which sometimes clashes into our minds like a roaring thunder.

The Psalm also speaks about giving – another form of worship that is often overlooked in our religiosity and taken as an interlude to the worship service. This is evident many times by the chatter that often ensues and you can sense the many minds that quickly wander to the past and future obligations that crowd our minds and drowned out the voice of God and the preparation of our hearts.

Of course, God needs absolutely nothing from us, to include our giving - He is self-sufficient. However, God so loved the world that He gave, and He wants us to be like Him. Thus we don’t “have” to give, we “get” to give and, in so doing, we free ourselves from our own selfishness by making investments in heaven that will bear eternal dividends and which glorifies the Father. What He wants is our acknowledgment of His goodness not just when we pass the plate. In reality it's for us to learn to acknowledge His goodness all the day long and not various interludes in our lives. I’ve tried to implement this in a very simple act of pulling out of my driveway and thanking the Lord for His goodness and provision of shelter and that our home would be used to glorify the name of Christ.

The nest part of the Psalm fits perfectly with the sermon that I’m yet to preach. Here the psalmist talks about the person (rebellious person) who quotes Scripture and claims His promises, yet ignores His instructions. Wow, does that not sound familiar? Are we not caught up in religious formality or rebellious hypocrisy in the church today? Are we not a religious people whom have fallen into formality, going through the motions? Are we not a rebellious people, living disobediently but still claiming promises and quoting Scripture? We know the solution, but first we must come to a place of realization. Only then can we work on the solution to confess and then go on to worship thankfully and to walk righteously, for only then will our worship be acceptable to a holy and righteous God.

Well I guess I got a bit preachy, but the question of whether God “spoke” to me in this passage is not mysterious at all – it’s real and wonderful!

God has also “spoke” to me by using other people this past week in another real and wonderful way in which He uses His “still small voice.” Oh to have the ears of faith and to be sensitive and to “be still and know that I am God.”

May we individually, and as a church have worship that is worthy. For He is worthy of all our praise. “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).