How Does God Speak To Us?

How does God speak to you? Through His Words in the Bible, your pastor, other people, circumstances, your conscience, dreams? The key is knowing when God is speaking. As our pastor preached this morning, Jonah knew the voice of God, and still made the wrong decision. But no matter how far or how fast you run, God is still there. Even in the belly of the whale, God used that situation for the people that Jonah was to talk to.

This morning I had a dream. People were gathered, practicing for a play. I could hear people singing in a room behind me. A group of people passed us in the hallway. One person from my group said that girl wanted to be Alvin; she had to be Theodore. (I take it this was going to be a Chipmunk play.) There were other groups practicing in other parts of the building, and I remember thinking how is all this going to come together? How will the singers know when to come in? When will the speakers know when to speak their parts? The speakers and singers can't talk at the same time. How about the other parts? When the play is performed, how will all these people know when to come in for the role they are to play?

Then I heard God speak: In church, we all have a role to play. We can't all be Alvin, the preacher, the worship leader, or other spotlight positions everyone would like to hold. But, everyone has a job to do. You have to practice your part for everyone to be in unity. You have to pray at home, get in your secret place and talk to God, to know what your part is. You can't do someone else's part; you have your own part to play. You don't know what so-and-so went through to get where they are. Would you want to? The worship team must practice. If they don't sing and play throughout the week, worship is warming up, and it's over before they've gotten into it. We must pray throughout the week. We must read God's Word throughout the week. That's what gets us ready for church Sunday morning. Each part comes together in beautiful unity when God is in the whole.

How has God spoken to you? What has God told you to do? Did you do it, or were you like Jonah from this morning's message, running from God's will? Jonah's disobedience put the others around him in a storm also. Do you feel like you are in a storm? Obey God and watch the storm dissipate. Our obedience brings God's favor, like a blessing magnet. Obedience is the key.