What does it Sound Like…?

There’s a silly Meme on the internet (which ones aren’t) which says that ‘Talking to God is prayer, but if you hear Him talk back you’re crazy’.

As Christians, we believe in a personal, relational God that is interested in us and our lives and wants to communicate with us, and yet a times it can feel and sound a little arrogant when we say things like ‘I heard God say…’ or ‘God told me…’

But the Bible is full of stories of people talking with God.  People having very real and honest conversations with God.

Take for example the prophet Jonah, yes the one who got swallowed by a big fish after trying to run away from God.  We know how that didn’t exactly work out as he had hoped or expected.  He didn’t want to answer God’s request for him to go to the city of Nineveh and tell the people that God was angry with how they had been treating each other.  Eventually Jonah relented and asked God for a second chance (being stuck in the stomach of a big fish will do that for you). The fish spat him out on the beach near Nineveh and Jonah did what God had originally asked of him.  The people from the King down heard his message of judgment and repented, praying to God for mercy.  God heard them and did not bring the destruction for their past evil behaviour upon them. This put Jonah in a sulk and here is where he has a rather frank exchange with God. Check it out at the end of the book of Jonah.

I love the openness and honesty between God and Jonah. God takes Jonah’s tantrum in His stride and loving corrects and teaches Jonah about mercy, love and compassion.

If you read the Psalms you can hear David’s raw honesty about how he is feeling.  He doesn’t put on any religious airs and graces when he talks to God. “My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.” Psalm 38: 5 & 6.  That’s quite a graphic picture of David feeling pretty wretched.  God called David a man after His own heart.  I get the impression God liked David.

I could go on, and on about people who talked to God and heard back from Him.

We see it as the norm, in both the Old and the New Testament.  Not something super-spiritual or weird or unusual.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” God promises the prophet Jeremiah.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrew 11:6. This verse is following a list of example of people who lived courageous, daring and what might have looked like to outsiders ‘crazy’ lives because of their faith in God.

God is so very interested in us and invested in us that He wants to speak to us.

Let’s take the time to listen.