When God Speaks

Allow me to add a couple of footnotes to what I shared last posting about Angel Gabriel’s visits to Zechariah and Mary. You will notice a pattern with both of these appearances recorded in Luke 1 that applies to how we also hear from God. God may or may not choose to speak to us through angels – a host of means are at His disposal. However God does speak to us (and He surely does), what happens when he speaks tends to follow this pattern.

First, He makes His presence known. In the stories of Zechariah and Mary in the first chapter of Luke, the angel appears to them. What does this mean? Much speculation has been made about angels interfacing with humans. The Scriptures give us relatively little to go on. But it is clear that from a biblical world view, angels do exist and on occasion interact with human beings. In other words, they exist whether they appear to us or not.

Even more so with God. Just because we don’t see Him or hear Him doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. Doesn’t mean He’s asleep either. He’s always present and very active. But sometimes He chooses to make His presence known to us through His word, through His people, through a variety of means. Doesn’t mean one avenue is better than another or that the type of means God uses says something about our spirituality. All it means is that at this time and in this setting God has chosen to speak thusly.

Second, He gives us information. In Zechariah’s and Mary’s situations, the information came in the form of birth announcements. However the word of God comes to us, it contains information – instruction, a rebuke, a word of comfort. Gabriel was very straightforward with both of his listeners. Zechariah, Elizabeth is going to have a baby. Mary, you are going to have a baby. And then the angel gives them particulars about these babies, even down to the names. But as raw data, the word of God can be very troubling. And so, there is step three in the process.

Third, He provides clarification and interpretation. Something that clarifies that information and our world in light of God’s presence. Both Zechariah and Mary had questions and Gabriel was quick to explain. Sometimes it takes a while for the clarification to come to us. A couple of years ago, a friend in Indonesia wrote to give me a verse from the writings of Moses. As such it was raw date, but I sensed it was for me, particularly the words, “He will carry you.” I took those words to heart, but only after some time did value and purpose of the words themselves become evident to me.

Fourth, regardless of how well we understand, when it is a word from God, even a word of rebuke, with that word comes a sense of assurance. Zechariah may have walked away from that encounter unable to speak for months, but Zechariah was positive the angel’s promise was true – after all he’d lost his voice, just like the angel had promised. If the assurance is not part of the package, it is because the word was not from God or we are rejecting what God has for us.

Even when God is speaking a rebuke to us, God always speaks in a way that lets us know we are living in His universe and He is on his throne. Nothing is more assuring than that.