InterVarsity Press

Conversations: What is God Telling Me?

Monica:

When alone praying, how do I understand what God is trying to tell me when I'm done praying?

Ruth:

Your question is the ultimate question of Christians through the ages. Wouldn't it be nice if our prayers could be like your interaction with me. You say a prayer—ask a question—and I, as we often wish God would do, respond to you. One thing we know: God has all the answers; I don't. But, unlike God, I am sending you a direct and personal response.

Now, there are many Christians who say that God does this very thing—that when we pray, God gives a specific response. Many of those people would not claim that God speaks audibly or that God writes back a personal message as I am doing, but they would insist that God speaks very personally and specifically to individuals today. In fact, there are many books and seminars that focus on "listening" to God. And, typically, the emphasis is on the one who is seeking to hear the message, so it is important that the person be, for example, quiet or in a particular prayerful fame of mind or cleansed of all sin. Such states of mind should surely be commended and being repentant of sin ought to be a continuous act for all Christians. But to impose those prerequisites for answered prayer or for being able to hear God's voice is not a biblical teaching.

In Scripture, no doubt, God does speak. But when I contemplate some of the most familiar biblical illustrations, none of them suggest that the individual was in a particular frame of mind or was certain that sins were forgiven. Indeed, quite the opposite. God spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden—at the very occasion of the first sin. God spoke to the little boy Samuel, who was hardly in a frame of mind to "listen." And, God the Son spoke to Saul on the Road to Damascus, again when he was not expecting it and when he was not repentant of his sins.

Your question comes at an interesting time for me. I just recently signed a contract with InterVarsity Press for a book tentatively titled, Safe in the Silence of God, that discusses this very issue. It is my contention that a Christian should not expect God to respond to our prayers in what is often referred to as "two-way-prayer." Rather, the Holy Spirit leads us to the truth through the Bible, which I believe is the WORD of God—the very voice of God speaking to us today. Of course, God can break through by any means, but I believe our normal communication to God is through our speaking in prayer and God speaking through the Bible.

This leads to the subject of knowing God's will for our lives and for specific matters. What are the answers to the specific questions we have that are not mentioned in the Bible? There is much more that I could say on this subject, and there are many good books written on the topic. I have written on this topic myself in my book, Multiple Choices: Making Wise Decisions in a Complicated World.

Thank you so much for your question. I hope what I have written helps.

Shalom.