Listening to God

Trying to listen to extra-terrestrial beings through satellite dishes and radar antennae has been going on for years. Most of the sounds are beeps, static noise, humming and occasional blips and bleeps. So far, we have heard nothing intelligent or coherent, but according to some, that could soon change.

World’s First Intergalactic Communication System Now Transmitting

Hartford CT (SPX) Mar 08, 2005

www.TalkToAliens.com, the world’s first “Intergalactic Communication System” has announced that it is fully operational, and is transmitting phone calls from the public into deep space . The system is online 24 hours a day.

To use the system’s “Intergalactic Transmitter”, a person simply dials a phone number (1-900-226-0300) and talks. The phone call is routed into a transmitter and the person’s voice is beamed live into space via a 10.5-foot parabolic dish antenna.

The call costs $3.99 per minute. The fee helps offset the expenses of developing, operating, and maintaining the system.

As stated on www.TalkToAliens.com: “If any intergalactic entity is already ‘listening in’ on earth happenings, they should be aware of this portion of the RF spectrum - and give you the best chance of being heard.”

Where, in space, are the messages being sent? According to www.TalkToAliens.com, the antenna is pointed into the area of space with the highest density of regional stars and, thus, hopefully towards planets and other civilizations.

That region is commonly referred to as the “Milky Way” — the galaxy in which our own solar system resides. As the sky appears to turn over the earth, the parabolic antenna sweeps through much of the Milky Way Galaxy - and its estimated 400 billion stars.

Other enhanced services are in development, such as ways to broadcast typed messages into space - including e-mails and Instant Messages (IMs).

They are also engineering a system to accept the public’s incoming digital photos and video-camera feeds - and broadcast them into space.

The one exception to this is the voice of God. Men have heard the voice of God, some in profound ways and others vaguely or inaudibly. The general population, however, seems to be skeptical of hearing God’s voice. People who hear voices in their heads are usually put on lithium or some other tranquilizer. We discredit most accounts of those who claim to hear God’s voice because it is so difficult to prove whether or not they are hallucinating or telling the truth that.

Sometimes, our belief hinges upon the substance of the conversation. When President Bush referenced hearing from God about the war on terror or invading Iraq, he was laughed to scorn in some quarters. When a professor who took up the cause of abortion said that God told him to do this, he was accepted and praised. There are those who say that God told them to kill and destroy; there are others who say God told them to make great sacrifices to help and heal people. We make certain judgments about the communication depending on our general concepts of good and evil.

Most of us today, for these very reasons, hesitate to say that we heard from God. We hint, suggest and hold things in our hearts, but we speak cautiously on the subject. This hesitation gives rise to a number of questions about our interaction with God. Does God really talk to people? How can we be sure it’s God? Should we act upon what we hear, or wait for confirming evidences? Is it necessary for us to hear from God before we do something? Does God tell us to do things that are harmful or wrong?

Since we are heading into the Christmas season, we should remember that much of the story of the incarnation is based upon people hearing from God or from angelic creatures:

• Mary heard from the angel.
• Joseph heard from the angel.
• Zacarias heard from the angel.
• The shepherds heard from the heavenly host.
• The wise men heard from God.

It appears, then that we can draw the following conclusions:

• God does communicate with people.
• He uses different means and methods to speak to us.
• He announces, warns, commands and comforts us.
• He is imitated by Satanic spirits.
• Our ability to receive his message depends on our heart and attitude.
• We can count on God’s voice to be in accord with God’s character.
• God’s voice will never contradict his word.

God’s voice was equated with God’s presence.

Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

The voice of God must be obeyed.

Gen 26:1-5 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. 2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

The voice we hear may be in the form of another sound.

A trumpet

Ex 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

Exodus 19:19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

A mysterious voice

Deut 4:12 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.

A voice that calls for diligence on our part

1 Sam 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

God sometimes speakes through the acts of nature or great events.

Job 37:1-5 At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place. 2 Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth. 3 He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth. 4 After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard. 5 God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.

Ps 29:3-9 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. 7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. 8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

God sometimes speaks to us through the voice of wisdom

Prov 8:1-7 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?  2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.  3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.  4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.  5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.  6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.  7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

God’s voice may not be to give orders, but to confirm what he is doing or has done.

Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

John 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

John 12:30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

God may speak to us in visions and thoughts.

Job 33:14-16 For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.  15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;  16 Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,

Acts 12:7-9 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.  8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.  9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

We can develop an ear for the voice of God.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

By creating a warm, emotionally enriching environment in utero, a woman can make a decisive difference in everything her child feels, hopes, dreams, thinks, and accomplishes throughout life.

While it is widely believed that the human fetus is a blank slate, lacking true sensation, emotional affect, or even the ability to feel pain, pregnant women through the ages have intuitively known what scientists have only recently discovered: that a mother’s unborn child hears her voice and senses her love. The unborn child has significant sensory capabilities. He can see, hear, and feel.

For example, by the fourth month after conception, the unborn child has a well-developed sense of touch and taste. He can perceive a bright light shining on the mother’s abdomen; if the light is particularly bright, he will lift his hands to shield his eyes. At five months, he will react to a loud sound by raising his hands and covering his ears. The unborn has the capacity to perceive and remember sounds of speech, to recognize a story heard repeatedly in utero, and to recognize his own mother’s voice. He has formed the brain structures necessary for learning, and even awareness, sometime between the 28th and 32nd weeks of development. Thomas Verny, MD

“One of the earliest accounts of intrauterine hearing is described in the New Testament (Luke 1:44) when John’s mother, Elizabeth, tells Mary, who is pregnant with Jesus, “The infant in my womb leaped for joy the moment I heard the voice of your greeting!” A number of modern studies have confirmed that by eighteen to twenty weeks of fetal life, your unborn child hears and responds to sounds in his environment. Although you might expect the womb to be a quiet place, it is actually quite rich in sounds and sensations. Tiny microphones placed within a pregnant uterus reveal that a multitude of audible vibrations enters your unborn baby’s sanctum. Mother’s heartbeat and digestive tract offer steady background noise, along with the pulsing rush of blood flowing through her major vessels.” David Simon, MD.

Sometimes the voice of God is not understood by other people.

Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

We should recognize that there are counterfeit voices that seek to destroy us.

1 Cor 12:7-10 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

We need to become familiar with the Word of God because it is the basis for everything he tells us in the context of our daily lives.

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

1 Thess 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Titus 1:1-3 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; 3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

I submit that God is CONSTANTLY communicating with us! If we pray without ceasing, that means he directs, coaches, guides, teaches and supports without ceasing.  I can sense almost immediately when people quit listening to God. They get a distant look in their eyes; they develop a resistance or a skeptical attitude toward preaching and pastoral advice; they give greater prominence to variant voices in their minds; they develop relationships outside the body of Christ. Their vocabulary changes, their activities change, their commitments change, and they begin to close down their ties and bonds to the church.

Our relationship with God lives and breathes in our communication with God. This means that we must pray, meditate, read, study, listen and submit to his will to keep our relationship alive.  Most of the time, God speaks to us to enrich and edify our relationship with him. As we grow in him, we learn his voice, we become aware of his warning signs, we understand the promptings of his spirit.