“God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son . . .” (Heb. 1:1-2 ESV).
God spoke to people in the Bible to reveal Himself, His plans, and His purposes for them. He spoke by many different means, including angels, burning bush, casting lots, creation, donkey, dreams, fasting, God the Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, miracles, people, prayer, preachers, prophets, Scripture, signs, wonders, and visions.
Henry and Richard Blackaby said, “Some may see the concept of God speaking today as a threat to the Bible’s authority. Is the Bible the only means God has at his disposal for speaking to people? . . . While there certainly have been abuses by some who claimed to hear from God in nonbiblical ways, does that discount the legitimate avenues through which God speaks? While the Bible is God’s definitive, authoritative word to us, is God not capable of applying that word to our lives in numerous ways? (Hearing God’s Voice, 6.)
The Spirit of God daily speaks to us. He impresses upon our hearts and minds what He desires that we do and the attitudes we should have. He seems to speak to me through His Word, other devotional readings, friends, family, in prayer and worship services, and strong, but quiet impressions and urgings.
God simply speaks to us in very ordinary ways about very normal living experiences. In Numbers 27, we see how God instructed Moses on some very practical matters. As the people of Israel were entering the Promised Land, Moses distributed land to the different tribes. The daughters of Zelophehad could not inherit land because it was only passed on to sons and there were none. They asked Moses to give them property among their relatives.
“Moses brought their case before the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses, The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them’” (Num. 27:5-7 ESV).
When God speaks to us He has a specific purpose, a lesson He desires us to learn, a truth He desires us to grasp. He has a plan that He will accomplish and knows our present and future needs and guides us accordingly.
Once God speaks to us about what He desires of us, His Spirit will guide us throughout the process. He doesn’t tell us everything all at once. He prepares us for what He desires to do, and then takes us through a process as He reveals His purposes and plans a step at a time. What seemed to be God’s plan in the beginning may turn out entirely different than we expected or could imagine, which has happened to us time and again.
Before we moved to Santa Maria, the Lord began impressing upon our heart that is what we were to do. I desperately wanted to leave Garden Grove, because our neighborhood had turned into a high crime area, and wanted to move to a quieter area. Our sons also wanted us to make the move near them and urged us to do so as soon as my husband Ron retired. Over the next five years, I wasn’t sure if this was God’s will or my own, but the desire to move grew more urgent.
God began to reveal His will to us as I applied for a part time job at the community college in Santa Maria and was hired to teach English as a second language. We sold our house in Garden Grove, or so we thought, and I came to Santa Maria to begin teaching while Ron retired and finished his last six months of work. Then the sale of our house fell through. Were we making the right decision? Had God spoken to us or were we just desperate to move?
Finally, the house sold and closed escrow, but the job Ron thought he had did not come through. I began to worry again, but in two weeks he found another job. Later, our youngest son and his wife bought a home three doors away from us. We weren't sure that being so close would be ideal, but we would soon realized why God had provided them with a home nearby.
Ron and I had settled into our local church, and I expected that we would have a nice leisurely retirement. I could spend time with friends, write, sew, and do pretty much what I pleased. But that wasn’t God’s plan.
Ron suddenly went blind while driving. He made it safely home but never drove again. Our lives were turned upside down, and we were faced with hard adjustments. Having our son so close has been incredibly helpful, and I don’t know how I would have made it without him. Then he and his wife adopted three girls. The journey through the adoption process was a six and a half year ordeal. They had seven children until they finally were able to adopt an infant girl and later two sisters. We have had the joy of helping our son and his wife through the adoption process and taking care of the girls.
I can see God’s plan now, but would never have dreamed that when we felt so urgent to come to Santa Maria what we would be facing. God already knew our future and all of our needs, and He spoke to our hearts and prompted us to make the move.
