That seems like a scary phrase to hear these days. Anytime someone says, "The Lord told me this" or something along those lines it's like our critical minds switch on and we've immediately concluded this person is delusional. I guess it's been our experience that people either abuse this phrase to validate a decision they've made that others wouldn't agree with, or maybe they're in self-denial.
But doesn't God speak to us today still? No? How does he speak to us?
Even though some of us are convinced that yes indeed, God had truly spoken a personal word into my life, we won't say, "The Lord told me." Instead we'll say, "I feel like the Lord has told me..." Even though we don't really feel like God has told us, we're quite certain he has told us, we still say it like that because we don't want people to think we're nuts and belong in the category of people I first mentioned.
We're cautious, we don't want to be seen as false prophets, we don't want to say something for fear of it not coming true.
So the other day I began to wonder. We assume from the Biblical stories that God spoke audibly in the past to his chosen people. But what if he didn't? What if he spoke to them in the same way he speaks to us now? And then when they passed their stories on they would be speaking after the fact, knowing then that it really was God speaking to them. I wonder...
What do you think?
2 comments:
God speaks to me in night visions!
And for certain people in the bible days he did the same so I suppose he does still speak to us whether we listen and believe it is another story though.
Two things.
1) When people say these days that God spoke to them I have seen a lot of manipulation involved there too. As in, God told me you should do this that or the other thing. Or God told me we should go in this direction. Convenient that God would reinforce your opinion so strongly without letting me in on that. I believe independant confirmation is important as a result or it is just waaay to easy to add clout to your personal perspective.
2) The Bible seems pretty clear as to God speaking directly, I think most notably in times where He is not just in the persons head. Moses and the burning bush is a good example as He speaks from the bush and not just in Moses' head. God does still speak to us through the Holy Spirit, but I believe it is more in a guiding sense than before. The age of prophets, as God's mouth piece, is over when the Messiah comes. I believe God speaks in the sense of leading us somewhere, and I think that often what people mean when they say God is speaking to them, much the same way a painting "speaks" to us and moves us.
All this said, I would never just pass someone of as crazy if they heard God talking. As long as it agrees with scripture, I'll listen.
Post a Comment