How God speaks to us

God speaks to us first through His Word, all that we seek can be found hear but it does require that we know Him, seek Him first, and know how to listen to the leading of His Holy Spirit. Too often we get stuck or lack the faith to believe yet God loves us and though His answer is in the love letter He has provided sometimes He will speak to us through other people, situations, or His law. Sometimes it is for the purpose of correcting us and sometimes it is for the purpose of growing us up, that is why you must always understand that God is good at all times.

I have been saved for 35 years and the older I get the more I believe it doesn’t make sense to get upset with God when something does not go my way. Some believe this is a necessary step in order to be in touch with your emotions because there will be times that you are naturally frustrated at situation knowing God could have made it happen another way but if you believe everything happens for a reason and at the same time you believe God is good in all situations then clearly the problem is not with God but that you don’t understand what He is up to. Is our time not more wisely spent seeking God’s will then becoming upset that things didn’t go your way? Have you ever seen a child upset at the parent because they did get something they wanted at the grocery store? It’s not a pretty sight! Spiritually speaking, those who get upset at God because something didn’t go their way are acting the same way.

Job went through more than anyone else has, seemingly without reason. God did not give Job a reason why, nor did God give a reply to Job’s many questions but Job knew his position, knowing right from wrong and he stood firm in the things he believed knowing that God was just, in spite of what his friends had to say. And like Job we must know who God is and walk by faith, not by sight. Though our eyes may tell us God is nowhere to be found and our friends may lead us astray it is our unshakable faith in our loving Heavenly Father that becomes the life line we hold onto. As you seek God for answers ask Him for understanding and that your eyes may be opened so that He might give you the strength to endure this test and yes express your heart’s cry, weep before Him day and night but never become angry at God, for this only reveals the fact that you do not know God the way you should. If you recall when Job finally broke and began to doubt God’s goodness God’s reply was stern and fearful.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
(Job 38:1-4 NIV)

Whether it’s King David running for his life or Job ready to give up because of the weight that had been placed on his shoulders what God wants most from us is that we are honest and we speak from our hearts. God doesn’t like lip service, He doesn’t like prayers that are well thought out for the purpose of tickling the ears of those in the room but what He wants most is that we know Him and that we communicate with Him from our very core and that we do it with all praise and honor that’s due Him. This is what God calls a righteous person, someone that knows Him intimately and who trust Him regardless of circumstances, who walks by faith and not by sight, someone who stands up to those who talk out of ignorance and reveals the distance between themselves and God, and someone who shares the Good News with others and tells of God’s faithfulness to forgive sins. God promises to be near this person and to hear their prayers when the call out to Him.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
(James 5:16 NIV)

So the next time you are being tested think about how God has been dealing with you prior to this, has your heart been heavy, have you listened to the whisper of His Holy Spirit or have you been avoiding God? I have found that most difficulties only come after I have refused to listen to what He told me in His Word or I’ve been indifferent to the moving of His Holy Spirit. You see He loves us too much to let us wonder away deaf and blind but instead He gently wipes the mud from our faces, leads us to the fountain to bathe us and when He catches our attention we grow in Him being more mature than we were before and more willing to listen the next time.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
(James 1:2-8 NIV)