The Bible records various amazing ways that people heard from God in the past, including dreams, prophets, and an audible voice spoken directly to them. We might be tempted to wish we lived during the Bible times so we could have access to these incredible means of hearing God speak. However, God has given us a great gift for us to hear from Him today—His Word, the Bible. Let’s take a look at different ways in which God has spoken from the Bible until now.
Probably the main way that God spoke during biblical times is through prophets. These were men and women chosen by God to proclaim His message. They brought words of hope, messages of warnings, promises of future events, and commands from God. Some of the biblical prophets include:
Sometimes these prophets heard audible voices from God; other times God spoke to them through visions or dreams, like the prophet Ezekiel. Often God sent His prophets to a certain people group or nation to deliver His words.
Sometimes people purposefully sought out a prophet so that they could hear a word from God on a specific matter, like when King Jehoshaphat asked to hear from a prophet of God about going to war (1 Kings 22:7; 2 Kings 3:11). The prophets recorded God’s Word so that future believers could know His promises, law, and redemptive plans. Most of these words from God are found in the Old Testament in the books we call the major and minor prophets.
There are four Major Prophets: the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. And there are twelve Minor Prophets: the books of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
The Bible tells us that prophecies will be spoken in the last days by both men and women, young and old, regardless of social status, as God pours out His Spirit (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17).
There were other times when God spoke directly to people. Sometimes they heard His voice audibly, like when God spoke directly to Abraham when He told him that he would have a son in his old age and that he would be a great nation (Genesis 12:2, 4-5).
Other times, God would appear in a form that people could see and hear. When this happened, the Bible often refers to Him to as "the angel of the Lord." This is also called "Christophany." Scholars believe that this describes a time when Jesus, God the Son, came to earth before the events in the New Testament. People who heard God speak through these Christophanies include Moses (Exodus 3:2-4), Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15), Gideon (Judges 6:12), and Samson’s parents (Judges 13:17-23).
John the Baptist was the first prophet called by God since Malachi some 400 years earlier. In fact, John’s coming was foretold over 700 years previously by another prophet (Isaiah 40:3–5). John the Baptist announced that the Word of God had "become flesh" to dwell among us (John 1:14). One of the names for Jesus is actually "the Word" (John 1:1). When Jesus spoke, that was God speaking directly to the people. Jesus said that "whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9-10). So when we read the sermons that Jesus preached, the instructions He gave on prayer, and the teaching on the kingdom of heaven, these are direct messages from God.
Jesus is the pinnacle of the revelation of God’s Word. After Jesus went back up into heaven, He gave the Holy Spirit to the disciples to accomplish the special task of recording what Jesus said and did when He was on earth (John 14:26).
Hebrews 1:1-2 says that, in the past, God spoke to us through the prophets, but that in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. The "last days" refers to the "Church Age"—the time that we are living in right now, from the time of Pentecost (Acts 2) to the rapture (foretold in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). So even though the Word is no longer physically present, we can hear from God through the Bible because it is a record of God’s Word...in every sense.
One blessing that we have today, that the people in the Bible did NOT have, is that we have the complete Word of God right at our fingertips. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that believers may be equipped to serve God. We do not need to seek a "new" word from God; we can’t top Jesus.
The Bible God has given us is sufficient in all things, and He will speak to us through His Word. When we seek Him through Scripture, He teaches us about what His Word means and how it applies to the real life situations we are going through every day.
God has also gifted people in the body of Christ to explain and speak the Word of God into others' lives and provide godly wisdom for our circumstances. God may provide us a message from a pastor, a friend’s biblical advice, or a directive given by a God-given authority figure. These may all be ways that we hear from God based on His Word.
Finally, God can speak to us when we first speak to Him. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." God's wisdom can come to us through the word of a friend or stranger, through a sermon or something we read or watch, or from an inner prompting from the Holy Spirit. Always use God's Word as a standard for judging this wisdom, making sure that it's truly a message from Him.
Just because we don't hear God’s voice out loud, that does not mean that God is silent. God has spoken through His Word, and it's our responsibility to discuss God's Word and work in our lives with other believers, as well as read, memorize, and meditate on our own so that we can hear from Him today. The more we live by His Word, listen to His guidance, and talk to Him, the more His voice will be clear.
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me..." —John 10:27-28 (NLT)
The Bible records various amazing ways that people heard from God in the past, including dreams, prophets, and an audible voice spoken directly to them. When Jesus came to earth, He was the Word of God in the flesh (John 1:14), so when we read the words that Jesus spoke, we are hearing God speak (Hebrews 1:2). Today, God speaks to us when we read the Bible, pray to Him, or when others share God’s Word with us. Since God has spoken through His Word, and it's our responsibility to discuss God's Word and work in our lives with other believers, as well as read, memorize, and meditate on our own so that we can hear from Him today. The more we live by His Word, listen to His guidance, and talk to Him, the more His voice will be clear (John 10:27-28).
Hanna loves spending time with kids and teens. She enjoys being detectives with them to investigate God's Word to discover truths to answer any questions. She is the co-author of a newly published apologetics curriculum for children and teaches one online for highschoolers-adults. To learn more about her ministry you can visit networkerstec.com. For fun, she likes to play Ultimate Frisbee, read historical fiction, and paint.
