Hearing God

I've been reading God's Wisdom in Proverbs by Dan Phillips. When I finish it, I plan to write a proper review, but this is not a fast and easy read; it requires time to stop and think and ponder. Anyway, here's where my thoughts were with it today.

People often say "God told me" and "I heard a small voice" and such to explain a decision. You see them on TV a lot, too, talking about new messages that God gave them, and sometimes encouraging us to listen for God's special messages to us as well. It worried me some because I never hear God telling me what to do. I usually make decisions based on gathering information, praying, talking to people who are wiser than I, and then doing what makes the most sense. No "still, small voice" and no "it just felt right." (In fact, I tend to worry about all the big decisions so I never feel an immense sense of peace. If I waited for that, I'd never do anything.)

Further, all the "prophets" people have told me about have turned out to have prophesied falsely at least once, so I'm not ready to trust them. I've never felt the need for new prophesies and small voices in my head and the like, but there are people who make me feel like I'm missing some new truth when I won't listen to this or that "prophet" (who prophesies on a schedule, incidentally, which seems rather forced to me) and that I would understand God so much better (as an aside: not the people at my church, who seem to see things the way I do in this area).

Which brings me to the Proverbs book. Dan Phillips was talking about fear of the Lord, and how we need to learn about God to fear Him, and that this revelation comes through the Bible and always has. Back in Deuteronomy17:18-19, the future kings of Israel are told to copy out and study and know the Law, and that way learn to fear the Lord.

Listen to what Dan says: "Even though he lived in the day of ongoing revelation, with prophets hearing words straight from God's mouth, the king was not directed to focus on them. He was not told to have daily coffee with a prophet, asking for the latest scoop from Heaven. No, he was directed to the written word that he (and all Israel) already possessed." (p.74)

Did you get that? Back in the days when there was on-going revelation, people were still told to turn to Scripture that was already given to know God. And we have the entire Bible now, much more than they had.

We don't need feelings or small voices or new prophetic utterances. We only need the Bible: that is how God speaks to us.