God's Guidance?

Dear Victorious,

I hear people say that God told them this or that, or that He spoke to them in one way or another. I've been a Christian for years, pray regularly --- and never have heard God speak to me or tell me anything. Why? How do I get God to tell me things like He apparently does with other people?

Norma N. - Waxahachie, TX

Dear Norma,

Understand that God doesn't usually speak to anyone just for the sake of communicating. Rather when God speaks, He always has a purpose. Usually, that purpose is to guide us in some way. It may be a decision we are about to make, or it may be thinking that He wants us to change. But if God speaks to anyone, it is usually for the sake of providing them with guidance.

So how do we get God's guidance (on anything)? We first have to want to be guided. That sounds simple enough, but the truth is that many people pray --- asking God to give things to them their way. They've already decided on the matter and they just want God to affirm their decision. The thing is, God knows the difference. He can tell whether we're truly seeking His guidance ... or whether we're mostly just seeking His approval for how we want things to be.

God's primary means of communicating with us is not through some prophetic word or a burning bush or miraculous sign. Rather His primary method of communicating is His Word - the Bible. By reading the Bible regularly and constantly learning from it, we will gain the wisdom to perceive God's direction for our lives. You see, God's communication is often subtle. Only minds that are tuned into Him will notice it. (The others will miss it!)

We may be tempted to demand answers from God. But successful Christians ask for direction instead. When we become willing to seek God, to learn from His Word daily and to obey His commands, then we will receive His specific guidance. We will know how to live and we will know it is direction that He's given specifically to us.