He Walks and Talks With Me

In the well known hymn "In The Garden" we have these inspirational words:

1 I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

Refrain:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

2 He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing. [Refrain]

3 I'd stay in the garden with Him
Tho' the night around me be falling;
But He bids me go; thro' the voice of woe,

His voice to me is calling. [Refrain]

This hymn, like many others, speaks of Christians who daily hear the Lord, the sound of his voice. In spite of this I often (through the years) have had Christians ask me about hearing the Lord speaking. There is, after all, a lot of misinformation on this question and false testimonies from Christians who say "the Lord told me so and so." I have no doubt that much of this is not a true hearing of the voice of the Lord. But, not wanting to throw the baby out with the bathwater, I will say that God does speak to his people. But how? How can we know that it is the Lord that is speaking to us? After all, there is the voice of "strangers" to which the sheep will not listen. (John 10) 

Joy Behar on the daily show "The View" thought VP Pence was, like other Christians, mentally unstable for claiming to hear the voice of the Lord speaking to them. What can we say about that?

God Speaks Through His Word

"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds." (Heb. 1: 1-2 nkjv)

"For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe." (I Thess. 2: 13)

"See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven." (Heb. 12: 25)

If you are reading or hearing scripture, you are hearing God.

God Speaks Through Calling to Memory

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (John 14: 26)

"And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly." (Matt. 26: 75)

The Lord speaks to us by bringing certain scriptures to our minds.

God Speaks Through Impressions & Provoking Thought

"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turns it whithersoever he will." (Prov. 21: 1)

"He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants." (Psa. 105: 25)

“For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled." (Rev. 17: 17)

"...for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Phil. 2: 13)

These verses tell us that God can cause us to think certain thoughts and to act as a result.

"And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD." (Exo. 35: 21-22)

"And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair...The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses." (Exo. 35: 26, 29)

 

"And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day." (I Chron. 5: 26)

"Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians: And they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons." (II Chron. 21: 161-7)

"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up." (II Chron. 36: 22-23; Ezra 1: 1)

"And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king." (Hag. 1: 14-15)

We also read of people having a "willing heart" (Exo. 35: 35) and "willing mind" (I Chron. 28: 9; II Cor. 8: 12) and how "the spirit is willing." (Matt. 26: 41) 

Of course, we must "try the spirits" to discern whether they are of God or not. (I John 4: 1-5) 

All these verses tell us that God can "stir up" people, can impress them, can urge them, can make them willing to do a thing. 

God Speaks Through Dreams & Visions

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams." (Acts 2: 17)

Sometimes dreams are sent to warn us. Most dreams, we aver, have no message from God. But, to discount that this is one way that he sometimes speaks to his people is an extreme and unwarranted view. 

God Speaks Through Messengers

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels (messengers) unawares." (Heb. 13: 2) 

"He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” (Luke 10: 16)

God may speak to us through parents, family members, strangers, preachers, teachers, counselors, etc.