We live in a culture that has, for centuries now, cultivated the idea
that the skeptical person is always smarter than the one who
believes.... Only a very hardy individualist or social rebel—or one
desperate for another life—therefore stands any chance of
discovering the substantiality of the spiritual life today. 2You must get over and get rid of any doubt or unbelief that
keeps you from believing that God indeed speaks! The Bible is
a book full of “God Talks.” If you need convincing, open it
anywhere and begin to read. In the psalms—which are the
recorded two-way conversations between God and people—
you see and hear the exchange between God and human
beings. In each of the historical books of the Old Testament,
and included in the letters of the prophets or disciples, are
recorded the words that they heard God say to them.
From the beginning of time, men and women have heard God
talk and recorded their conversations with Him.
So if you have never heard God talk, I encourage you to test
God’s willingness and ability to talk to you. I am confident He
will prove to you that He desires to engage in a personal,
conversational relationship with you. Or if you have heard God
talk only occasionally and His voice remains elusive, don’t
despair! R. A. Torrey, author of numerous books, encourages
you by saying, “Many of the most blessed seasons of prayer I
have ever known have begun with the feeling of utter
deadness and prayerlessness; but in my helplessness and
coldness, I have cast myself upon God, and looked to Him to
send His Holy Spirit to teach me to pray, and He has done it.” 3
The second and perhaps most common hindrance to
hearing God talk is sin. Oswald Chambers, a devotional writer
who doesn’t mince words, wrote, “If a man cannot get through