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How Does God Speak?

In 2007, Christopher Nolan released a film called Inception. In it, the main characters use sci-fi technology to sneak into a person's dream to plant an idea. They call this process "inception." And if done right, the target will act on the idea without knowing it was given to them by someone else. Whether you've seen it or not, the premise for this movie is a great way to understand a similar concept in the Bible. 

God has the supernatural ability to plant ideas into peoples' minds. (All without using Leonardo DiCaprio, a weird machine, or having to wait until they're asleep). And when it happened in the Bible, this type of divine inception was called hearing God’s voice, a subject we’re going to discuss over the next hour and learn to do ourselves. 

Let's look at examples of divine inception and hearing God's voice in the Bible.

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Divine Inception

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In 1 Chronicles 5:26, it says, "So the God of Israel put it into the mind of Pul (that is, Tiglath-pileser) king of Assyria to take the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh into exile…" (HCSB). Isn't that amazing!? Like in the movie, God got someone to act on an idea He planted without them realizing it. (We know Pul didn't realize it because he historically worshipped other gods and would not have intentionally listened to our God). 

However, unlike the movie (and Pul's example), this type of divine-inception doesn’t always go unnoticed. Consider Nehemiah, a simple refugee in the Bible. He acted on the following ideas because he knew they were inspired by God: 

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•  “I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem…” (Neh. 2:12 NASB) 

• "Then my God put the idea into my head that I should gather the nobles, leaders, and people so that they could check their genealogy" (Neh. 7:5 GW). 

This tells us that (1) not only can God give people ideas, but (2) people can learn to recognize them when it happens. It’s like what Proverbs 21:1 says: "The LORD controls the mind of a king [or ordinary person] as easily as he directs the course of a stream" (GNT). And, as I mentioned earlier, when God supernaturally directs someones thinking, we call it "hearing God's voice."​

Hearing God's Voice​

When people think about God speaking in the Bible, they typically imagine someone hearing a dramatic, audible voice, like in this story from the book of Acts:

"As he [Saul] was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” …The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one!” (Acts 9:3-4, 7 NLT).

But this wasn't the only way it happened. In Acts 8:29, a disciple was walking down the road when, "The Spirit said to Philip, "Go to that carriage, and stay close to it” (GW). At first read, you might think Philip heard an audible voice like Paul. But most Bible scholars (all with more degrees than me) agree that wasn't what happened. This was actually divine inception! 

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible: “The thought in Philip's mind is here traced to his [the Holy Spirit’s] suggestion” (1).  

• Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible: "…Inwardly, by a secret impulse upon him, he [The Holy Spirit] directed him, saying…" (2).  

• Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: “…The Spirit said - by an unmistakable voice within” (3). 

Even though the verse is written as, "The Holy Spirit said," Philip didn't actually "hear" anything. He had an idea. This means "God said" can apply to hearing an audible voice and having an inspired thought. 

So whenever someone like the former American Vice President, Mike Pence, said God spoke to him, we can't automatically assume he heard an audible voice in his room in Washington, D.C.(4). It's more likely he thought God was speaking to him through an idea, like Philip. 

I say "more likely" because after Jesus, we don’t see God use His audible voice to speak directly to a Christian the same way He spoke directly to Paul in Acts 9. That's not to say it didn't happen or can't happen today – it’s just the rare, if-ever, exception. So instead of listening for God’s audible voice, expect Him to give you ideas (which the Bible has many examples of happening after Jesus).  

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Grapes 

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My parents dogs, Bear and Daisy love eating fruit. They will swallow without chewing any piece of banana or apple they can get their tiny paws on. So I didn’t think anything of it when I gave them each one big grape while housesitting. But the next day, before I could give them another one, I suddenly felt certain that dogs shouldn't eat grapes.

I couldn't explain why I felt that way, but I had a sick feeling in my stomach, and the idea wouldn't leave. So, I put the grapes down and pulled out my phone to do some research (something I should have done the first night). My stomach dropped. Every website said that grapes were lethal for dogs. I couldn't believe it!

That night I felt like Jonah in the belly of the whale crying to God (and my parents) for mercy to cover my stupidity. And thankfully, they both did. The dogs were miraculously ok and didn't have a single side effect. (Except, understandably, they aren’t allowed to get snacks from me at my parents' house anymore).

Where did this idea come from? It could only be from God because there is honestly no way I would have known grapes were harmful to dogs otherwise. Bear and Daisy would be dead if God didn't speak to me through divine inception, His inaudible voice inside.

Proverbs 5:21 says, "The LORD sees everything you do. Wherever you go, he is watching” (GNT). Friend, I don't know you. But I know God is always watching over you like He was for me that night. He cares about even the most minor details of your life. And, He WANTS to speak to you too. In fact, He probably has been already. "God speaks in different ways, and we don't always recognize his voice" (Job 33:14 CEV).

In this book, for five minutes at a time, we will learn to recognize His voice and how to respond to it. And after only one hour or less, I guarantee you'll feel confident hearing God the rest of your life.