Posted by
Bob Siegel on Monday, June 02, 2008 6:14:04 PM
Even though atheists like
to make a loud noise, most people in our country still believe in God. But
there’s a different discussion about God that is not held frequently enough.
Can God talk to people? I submit that
most people who believe in some kind of God, never expect this God to actually
communicate. Whenever prominent ministers claim God spoke to them, they are
immediately renounced as loons. Even some of my favorite conservative radio
talk show hosts, who defend the existance of God and the morality of the Bible,
have been known to say things like, “If somebody claimed they actually heard
God speak to them out of the sky, that would be rather odd.”
And yet, the very Bible they defend is full of accounts that
portray God doing just exactly that! He spoke out of the sky to everyone who
witnessed the baptism of Jesus. He spoke to Moses out of the burning bush. He
spoke to Paul in prison. We call the Bible the word of God because God spoke.
Before I continue; I want to be fair and admit that many
popular ministers are loons. When they claim they heard from God or got
a vision from God, they should consider the possibility that it may have just
been bad pizza from the night before.
But we can’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Yes,
the mentally unstable will claim to hear from God, but let me address the mentally
stable for a moment: Please
enlighten me. What exactly is inherently illogical about the idea of a God who
talks? Humans talk. Are we capable of doing something God cannot do? And if God
is capable of talking, why would God remain silent?
The Bible lists a variety
of methods through which God communicates.
He can speak audibly (as in the cases listed above) He can also use
dreams and visions. He can send prophets or angels. But His primary method of communication
today, (the one Jesus Himself embraced as most ideal), is communication from
His Holy Spirit.
I used to say to myself,
“Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to be one of Jesus’ original 12 disciples? To
be able to follow him around and listen to him teach for three years? Well,
believe it, or not, Jesus told his disciples that this was not ideal. After He
left the world and after the Holy Spirit came to take His place, they would be
experiencing a much better and closer relationship with God. God’s Spirit would
indwell them and this same sprit would run His thoughts through their minds
(John 16). Admittedly, this is not as
flashy as lightening type special effects. In fact, it is so subtle and personal,
we often take it for granted. We get used to the gentle voice of God to the
point where it is only a dull murmur in the background to be ignored.
I remember once while praying to God back in college I got
very fiesty: “God, how come you never
speak to me? You spoke to Moses! You spoke to Abraham! Why won’t you speak to me?”
I went on and on, whining like a little kid. Suddenly my
thoughts changed and I realized that the Spirit within was speaking.
“I’d be happy to talk to you if you would shut up once in a while and allow me
to get a word in edgewise.”
This is Bob Siegel, making the obvious, obvious.
Other religious blogs by Bob Siegel
Was
Jesus The Promised Messiah? Daniel 9
Does
God Have a Sense of Humor?
Does
Jesus Belong on the College Campus?
Try
To Follow This Logic: If God Exists, God is Real.
Does the Bible Really Speak About the Future?
What is the Unforgivable Sin and How Do I Know If I've
Committed It?
Does The Bible Teach An Age of Accountability?
Was Jesus Gay?
How Should We Pray For Healing?
Is The DaVinci Code Something to be Taken Seriously?
How Does One Become a Christian?
My Brief Time In the Occult
How Do We Know Which Manuscript Copies Truly Belong In The
Bible?
Does The Bible Teach That God Is Everything or that God Created
Everything?
Was Jesus A False Prophet?
Why Are There Different Versions of the Bible?
Three Questions That Test Your Friend's Opinions
Subsiding All The Passion Over "The Passion"
Cherry Picking Our Doctrines
St. Bob's Epistle To The Calvinists
Oh, That Horrible Christianity!
Was Judas Forgiven?
Oh Yeah? Well David Did Alot of Stupid Things
If You Don't Like Her, Take It Up With Jesus
Calling God Allah: What's In A Name?
How To Cause A Muslim Freudian Slip
Behavior Not Even A Christian Apologist Can Defend
Evidently Christians Don't Hold A Monopoly On Stupidity
I'm Not Doing It For the Warthog and the Pine Cone
Is Persecution Good For The Church?
A Pro-Choice Christmas Card?
The No Longer Sacred Santa
Can A Christian Be Pragmatic?
Now Kids, Keep The Name of the Holiday a Secret
Are Christian Ministers Just In It For The Money?
Christianity, Judaism and Islam: Comparison
Is Mormonism Really a Cult? Let's Finally Settle This Once and
For All
How a Reformed Jew Became an Evangelical Christian Part One
Are Christians Expected to Keep the Sabbath?
If The Gospel Was Fake, This Would Have Been A Really Dumb
Thing To Include
Did Jesus Really Claim To Be God?
Did Jesus Really Claim to be The Messiah?
The Prayer Game
Can The Existence of God Be Proven?
Can't I Accept Christ On My Deathbed?
The Day God Gave Me One Hundred Dollars (And Believe Me; I
didn't Deserve It)
Is Tithing Really Biblical?
The Day A Scholar Said Scholars Aren't Scholarly
Of course the Trinity is Impossible! Haven't You Ever Studied
Math?
Jesus Didn't Rise! Wait Until You Hear How They Decided
Did Jesus Fulfill Bible Prophecy? Isaiah 53