God Still Speaks | The Speckled Goat: God Still Speaks

4.11.2016

God Still Speaks

Have you ever just wanted God to give you an answer? Speak into your life? God still speaks, even today- we just have to be listening.


The air conditioner buzzed in the window, stopping every once in a while to gurgle its' objection to working so hard that particular afternoon.

It was well near ninety degrees outside, and despite cranking the poor AC up, the heat still radiated through our little living room.  I barely noticed.

Trevor and I sat on the thread worn couch- he played solitaire on the laptop... and I worried.

I had spent the past year working occasionally as a substitute teacher. It hadn't been a great fit for me to be a short-term sub, but job openings were few. I knew I wanted steady, consistent work.

I ended up with two choices: a paraprofessional job at a small school, or an office job at the camp where we lived.

I'd weighed the decision over and over, and finally, on this afternoon, I turned to my husband with a big exasperated sigh.

"I wish God would just tell me what to do!" 







Often, we want God to talk to us like He did to the people in the Bible.

I know I do.

I want Abraham's conversations with God. I want the burning bush. I want audible, distinct- the verbal Word of God.

Heck, I'd even settle for an angel messenger. Or a hand, writing on the wall.


Now, I do believe that He still speaks to people the way He did in the Old Testament... but He hasn't spoken that way to me.

Does that mean that I'm somehow inferior? Or that I'm not listening hard enough?





God does speak today. 

In fact, many of us carry around His Words in our purses. Some have it tattooed around their ankles. Most of us have more than one copy in our homes.

He does speak today.

We call it the Bible.





Honestly, we often think that the audible, "take off your sandals" method of God speaking to us is somehow preferred to the way that He gave us to hear from Him.

That's simply not true. 

I think about the contents of the Book I carry, of the Word that so often sits unopened on my nightstand.

Abraham hears the voice of God, saying that God would bless the world through Abraham's offspring. The Bible reveals that blessed offspring's name, and allows us to know him and look into his eyes. 

Moses is told to bring his people from Egypt- God prepares him for the Passover. The Bible tells us that the ultimate, eternal salvation comes not from lamb's blood on the doorway, but Christ's blood on the cross. 

Mary was approached by an angel from God, and even though she doesn't understand it, her life is forever changed. The Bible brings us that same message- that Christ has come- and our lives are forever changed. 


I get to see not only the beginning or the middle of God's story for humanity, but I get to see the end, too.

I have guidelines for my behavior, for dealing with conflicts, for practicing hospitality. I have words of hope in hard times, words about the very character of my God.

It's all there, on whisper thin, leather-bound pages.



I just have to listen. 


I just have to open up the pages of God's holy and living Word.

The Bible is enough- complete within itself to reveal the purposes of God.

The Bible is understandable- it's clear enough for my uneducated and often limited mind to read with comprehension.

The Bible is true- it's the authority to which I hold everything.

The Bible is necessary- every single day, guiding and pointing me to God.



Even when reading the Bible is hard, I know that it's so necessary, so clear, so sufficient, so authoritative.

I want to hear God. 


I have to open up those pages and let Him speak to me.





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10 comments :

  1. Beautifully written and so true. I feel like it all goes back to having FAITH and listening to the quiet voice within that gets so easily muted by the everyday distractions and sounds. Loved this piece! Thank you.

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    1. It definitely does go back to faith-- faith that God will show up in the Word, faith that He's still speaking, faith that He cares...

      Thank you for reading!

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  2. Well written, and such an inspiration. An excellent reminder that we have the ability to communicate with God through His written word!

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    1. Well thank you, Laura! I'm glad you were encouraged. Isn't it amazing that God's given us that resource? That means to hear from Him? (And isn't it amazing that I still don't pick it up, even though I know what it is?)

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  3. Just beautifully written! Having quiet time in the word is so important. In our world today we are surrounded by so much noise and bling that it can cause us much distraction if we don't focus our hearts and time.

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    1. That's so true, Kim. We know that we're influenced by the world around us... and how much more time and effort do we spend in Truth rather than in the world? I know I spend way more time scrolling through Facebook than I do in the Bible...

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  4. This is beautiful. And I really appreciate this post a lot. My hubby is really big on talking about the word of God in the way you just did. I, however, grew up with "all-the-feels" church, and it's hard for me to remember that just because I feel something, or hear something in my head, doesn't make it God. God's word, however, is always His. Now, I can misinterpret that if I am not careful, but God's word when rightly interpreted is right, true, perfect, and all together good. Feelings don't bring me near to God. Audible voices aren't necessary to draw me to Him. The Bible is :)

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    1. Well, and also, the Bible warns us about our feelings. We can be so easily swayed... it's all about finding the Truth in His Word-- no matter how we feel.

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  5. I am so blessed we are neighbors at #TellHisStory today. God does speak today and I love that it is alive and active. God's word is where we find truth and it's where we learn how to live our lives. Thank you for pointing us back to God and His word today. We will always find the answers there.

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  6. It's amazing that God chose words to communicate with us. His word has been translated in many languages and not all languages have direct translations from the Greek or Hebrew. But he can and does speak through language, and particularly stories. Narratives make up most of the Bible and there's something about stories that easily connect with you wherever culture you're from. It's quite amazing :)

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