God’s Voice in the Past

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April 18-19, 2009

Early Light Daily Devotional from In Touch Ministries

READ | Genesis 12:1-7

To understand how God may be speaking to us today, we should first examine the ways He spoke in the past. What made His voice so clear to the heroes of faith?

One of the primary ways God spoke to the Old Testament characters was through direct revelation. That is, He spoke directly to their spirits, one-to-one. This is exactly what we see in His conversations with Abraham, for instance (Gen. 12:1-3).

Then, of course, the Lord spoke also through His Word. This included the Ten Commandments and the law of Moses, which enabled the people to know and obey the divine will (Ex. 20:1-26).

Another way that God sometimes communicates is through circumstances. For example, think about His interaction with Gideon, who was frightened and therefore needed some “extra encourage-ment” (Judg. 6:36-40). The Lord graciously answered his request for a special physical sign of His presence.

The New Testament mentions more methods of divine communication. The Lord’s message at times came through angels or the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:19-21; Acts 16:1-7). In addition, there were occasions when God spoke audibly, such as at Paul’s dramatic salvation experience on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:1-19).

Through these various methods, God has continually reassured His people that He cares for them and is present at their side. This is certainly a much-needed message for our lives as well. While the Lord may not communicate with us in some ways, we know He will always speak through His Word when we listen obediently.

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