Does God Talk To Us Today?

Another Prophet that spoke for God was Jeremiah. 

¹⁶ Your words were found, and I ate them,

   and your words became to me a joy

   and the delight of my heart;

for I am called by your name,

   O Lord, God of hosts.…..If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. (Jere. 15)

I wonder if you get the phrase that caught my mind this morning?

The commentator, Steven L. Cook, wrote something which caused my mind to say “WOW:”

"To ‘stand before’ the Lord, as Jeremiah does, is to take in God’s perspective and live it out.  It is to be the Lord’s confidant, a member of the inner circle of heaven.  To serve as God’s ‘mouth’ is too swallow the divine word and unite with it in substance.  One receives it directly, hand delivered, just as Mose did….….

As God’s confidant and mouth, Jeremiah so incarnates the divine life that he experiences unbearable pressures.  God’s word flares within his bones, driving him to extremes of emotion….”

(Feasting on The Word, vol. 4 year A, p3)

How often have you asked, or heard people ask: “Do you think God really communicates with us today?”

For many years I was hesitant to speak to such questions directly.  I think I was afraid they would think I was off-in-left-field somewhere.  

I had been in the ministry for about nine or ten years before I felt  free to speak what I was sure I knew.

It was at a women’s retreat, with women I had grown to know, and mostly trust; when I told them of my first experience of knowing God was speaking to me.

It was in the summer of 1988. Just after I graduated from Seminary.  A time filled with much excitement, and still a lack of confidence in my abilities, and I heard in my thoughts: “I don’t expect perfect.”

It was a totally extraordinary  moment.  At first I didn’t know what to do with that fragile feeling.

So I just lived with it.   Keeping it close to myself for along time.

When you think about it, there is evidence that God communicated with His people throughout the Old and New Testaments.   

From the time of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3;  To the bright light that struck Saul in Acts 9.  We read of these, God to person, conversations.  

The Gospels are full of the activity of the Holy Spirit’s ability to communicate with those who believe.  And even those who are not so sure.

To be as clear as I can, God’s communications with me have not been long entailed conversation. It is more a thought that comes into my mind at a time when I am either strugglingly with something, or studying during sermon preparation, or having a particularly challenging conversation with someone.

Often these tiny epiphanies come out of quick prayers I mentally verbalize; or when reading scripture and a verse pops out at me.

¹⁶ Your words were found, and I ate them,

   and your words became to me a joy

   and the delight of my heart;

for I am called by your name,

   O Lord, God of hosts.

No matter if you are an ancient prophet, or an ordinary person living in the world today.  God is  always trying to get us to hear his word.