How God Speaks Through the Bible and What It Actually Feels Like

We’ve all been told that one of the best ways to hear the voice of God is through His Word. But how, exactly, does this work? What does it look like? After all, opening the Bible to a random page and pointing at a verse can land you in some pretty bizarre places. If you are seeking to hear God’s voice, opening your Bible to “you shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk” won’t be too helpful for your current situation. (Unless you wanted to know the proper way of cooking goat according to the Law of Moses…) Today, we will dive into what hearing God through the Bible actually looks and feels like.

The Bible is Living and Active

In order to understand how God speaks through the Bible, we need to establish that the Bible is a living and breathing thing. 

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)

If we study the words used to describe the Bible in this verse, it could read like this:

“For the Word of God is alive, actively at work, more penetrating than the sharpest sword, reaching into the deepest parts of a person, and able to accurately evaluate and judge the thoughts and motives of the heart.”

The Word of God isn’t passive. In fact, it reads us more than we read it. And when we surrender to the Holy Spirit while we study it, God can shed light upon our lives, reach into our hearts, study our motives, and help us reach the heart of a matter. The Bible isn’t a dead book; it is the one book that can be read a million times by a million people and is used to speak actively to each and every situation. The Word of God is an invitation, a challenge, and an oasis of hope.

God Knows What We Need and When We Need It

The written Word of God is our standard and measure for knowing whether we are hearing from God or not. Therefore, becoming well-acquainted with it is imperative for us to discern if we are hearing God or not.

Interestingly, in the Bible we have two words used to describe God’s Word. The first is logos, which means the literal and written revealed message from God. The second is rhema, which means God’s actively spoken word, declaration, or specific utterance.

When God speaks, He takes the logos and turns it into rhema. The written Word comes alive, and can turn into an active declaration over our lives and the lives of others. This is how God speaks through the Bible. He takes ink and paper infused with truth and utters it over us in the right moment, just when we need it. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Scripture can come alive for us. God, as a good Father, knows what we need and when we need it. Through the Bible, He lights up words with His Spirit and gives them life.

Ways God Speaks Through the Bible

So, then, how does this actually look? I believe God brings the Word alive to us in different ways (many depending on how we each hear from God). Here are some of the ways I have personally experienced God actively speaking to me through the Bible.

A verse jumps off the page

Some say a verse was “highlighted” to them. I like to say that a verse jumped off the page at me. I could have read that passage a hundred times before, but suddenly, when I read it again, it applies directly to my life, situation, or need in that moment. God speaks to us through the Bible by making certain things jump out at us and come alive in that moment.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)

A verse gives you peace

Another way I’ve heard God through the Bible is by experiencing peace while reading a certain passage. It is interesting to note that God is a God of peace and order; therefore, He will not lead with fear or uncertainty. And even when we have doubts, He will lead us with His kindness and through the Person of Peace—Jesus. When you read the Bible and experience peace through it, that is God actively speaking.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” – Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)

A verse gives you hope

God also speaks through the Word by giving us hope through it. In a way, God uses the Bible to shift our moods and attitudes. We may open our Bibles feeling hopeless, but God can speak to us through a verse, passage, or story and fill us with hope for our present and our future.

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” – Romans 15:4 (NKJV)

A verse challenges you

God challenges us through Scripture. The thing about truth is that it won’t always be comfortable or convenient. This is how the Bible works. God will use the Word to cut us deeply, expose the mistakes in our lives, and challenge us to become better. The Bible always calls us higher. It isn’t a self-help book meant to make us feel better about our current condition; it is a sword that will cut away at the imperfections in our lives in order to make us better. If you read the Bible and find yourself confronted, then God is using it to speak to you. Listen!

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)

A verse confirms something for you

God also uses the Bible to confirm what He is saying or has previously spoken to you. As I mentioned earlier, the Bible is the standard for everything. Every word we get (whether it be of encouragement, direction, a prophetic word, etc.) must be weighed against the Bible. If a word contradicts the Bible, we can safely discard it. But if a word aligns with the Bible, then we better pay attention. This is why it is essential to have a good working knowledge of what the Bible is and what it says. Whenever we need direction and confirmation, the Word is the place to look.

“…By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” 2 Corinthians 13:1 (NKJV)

A verse changes and transforms you

Finally, God changes us and transforms us through His Word. When we saturate our minds with Scripture, we are being changed from the inside out. Our minds are renewed, our thought lives become richer and more aligned to God’s will, and our emotions come under the obedience of Christ.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” – Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

God is still speaking! And He does so through the Bible every time we open it with a willing heart. How privileged are we that we have the freedom to read our Bibles and encounter the living God? My prayer for you is that you will find a fresh love for the Word of God and that He will turn the ink on paper into His active voice speaking to you this week.

Thanks for reading,
Anna

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Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash