People often wonder if it's possible to have a dialogue with God. Christians who pray and sing praises daily may not believe that the deity will answer verbally. Others attest to conversations with the Lord, and we might trust their accounts if we are sure of their godliness and integrity. Is there a way to find out the truth?
Many theologians have given answers to this question, but Christians have a more reliable way to find truth. God's inspired word is the Bible, which is our way to know God, learn how He operated in the past, read His promises about the future, and see how we are to respond to Him. The teaching of men and women of God can help us understand the scriptures but should never replace them.
In the scriptures, we find records of actual verbal exchanges between the Lord and man. God instructed Adam on how to live in the garden, including a warning not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We do not find Adam's response to these commands, but later he does answer the Lord.
In later chapters, though, we do have a recorded conversation. When Adam and Eve disobey and hide, God calls 'Where are you?' Adam answers Him and they talk until truth is revealed and judgement is pronounced. After Adam and Eve are expelled from the garden, God speaks to their oldest son Cain when He rejects his offering. After Cain kills his brother, God again passes judgement. Cain's responses to the Lord are there for us to read.
Enoch had a close relationship with his Lord as he walked with him for three hundred years. Enoch was the first man not to die; the Lord simply took him away. It seems safe to assume that conversations guided Noah to spend one hundred years making a boat and collecting animals, and Abram to leave his home for unknown regions. We do know that the Lord appeared to Abraham (his new name) in the form of an angel and they talked together.
The Bible has this to say about Moses: 'Since then (when Moses died), no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.' The Lord spoke to Joshua, the next leader of the Israelites, but apparently not in the way He did with Moses. God continued to instruct His people throughout history. He spoke to Solomon in a dream, offering to grant a wish, and Solomon answered, asking for wisdom.
New Testament accounts include Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus. Paul later says that he spent the next three days blind but in the company of the Lord, who he got to know in the same way that the other apostles did - which infers seeing and speaking to Jesus as well as being appointed to the work of the kingdom.
We are told that God never changes, so there is no reason to think that a dialogue with God is impossible. Any interaction with our heavenly father will have to align with the scriptures; Christians should always evaluate an experience to ensure it fits the self-portrait that God has given us in His Word.
Many theologians have given answers to this question, but Christians have a more reliable way to find truth. God's inspired word is the Bible, which is our way to know God, learn how He operated in the past, read His promises about the future, and see how we are to respond to Him. The teaching of men and women of God can help us understand the scriptures but should never replace them.
In the scriptures, we find records of actual verbal exchanges between the Lord and man. God instructed Adam on how to live in the garden, including a warning not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We do not find Adam's response to these commands, but later he does answer the Lord.
In later chapters, though, we do have a recorded conversation. When Adam and Eve disobey and hide, God calls 'Where are you?' Adam answers Him and they talk until truth is revealed and judgement is pronounced. After Adam and Eve are expelled from the garden, God speaks to their oldest son Cain when He rejects his offering. After Cain kills his brother, God again passes judgement. Cain's responses to the Lord are there for us to read.
Enoch had a close relationship with his Lord as he walked with him for three hundred years. Enoch was the first man not to die; the Lord simply took him away. It seems safe to assume that conversations guided Noah to spend one hundred years making a boat and collecting animals, and Abram to leave his home for unknown regions. We do know that the Lord appeared to Abraham (his new name) in the form of an angel and they talked together.
The Bible has this to say about Moses: 'Since then (when Moses died), no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.' The Lord spoke to Joshua, the next leader of the Israelites, but apparently not in the way He did with Moses. God continued to instruct His people throughout history. He spoke to Solomon in a dream, offering to grant a wish, and Solomon answered, asking for wisdom.
New Testament accounts include Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus. Paul later says that he spent the next three days blind but in the company of the Lord, who he got to know in the same way that the other apostles did - which infers seeing and speaking to Jesus as well as being appointed to the work of the kingdom.
We are told that God never changes, so there is no reason to think that a dialogue with God is impossible. Any interaction with our heavenly father will have to align with the scriptures; Christians should always evaluate an experience to ensure it fits the self-portrait that God has given us in His Word.
About the Author:
Read the inspiring story of Jesus and how he had a a dialogue with God at www.lifeadvancenetwork.com. To review the published book, visit http://www.lifeadvancenetwork.com today!
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