God Still Speaks

“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”  —Matthew 2:2

God spoke in a variety of ways with an urgent frequency during the time surrounding Jesus’ birth. God used the angel Gabriel to announce to Mary the birth of Jesus, and to Zechariah the birth of John the Baptist. God used a dream to assure Joseph that is was alright to take Mary as his wife.  God used angel messengers to announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds in the fields surrounding Bethlehem on the first Christmas night.

One of the more shocking ways God spoke was by shining a star to Gentile (non-Jewish) scientists in another country. The Magi or the Wisemen were probably court advisors who studied the stars and practiced divination (fortune telling) to give counsel to kings. Daniel and the Hebrew children of the Babylonian captivity were educated to serve in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court as part of a group called astronomers and magicians. God used nature, a star, to tell the Gentile world that Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, had been born.

As we face the New Year we might ask, “Does God still speak today?” “Can I expect God to speak to me in 2012?” Future telling has been going on for many. People will continue to try to interpret every storm, earthquake, and war. Interest in ancient calendars and ancient prophets will continue to increase. God’s Word tells us, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2a).

We have three recorded instances when God spoke directly and audibly during Jesus life on earth. At Jesus’ baptism, God said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17).  On the Mount of Transfiguration, God added the words, “Listen to Him.” “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matt. 17:5)  The third time was at the Triumphal Entry prior to Jesus passion and death. John 12:28 records God responding to Jesus’ prayer, “Father, glorify Thy Name!” “Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’”

God will probably speak through nature, dreams, and even His holy angels in 2012. But when we are uncertain of what these things mean and in the silence of a direct word from the mouth of God, we will need to do what the Wisemen did when nature’s revelation through the star fell short. They went to the Bible. The Wisemen went to King Herod to find out “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” King Herod consulted the Bible scholars who found specific revelation in Micah 5:2 telling that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. You have all heard the saying and many of you probably have practiced it this Christmas, “When all else fails, read the instructions.”

This New Year, I pray God’s people will return to the instructions, the Bible, the Word of God. If we expect to understand the events so quickly taking place around us, we will need to hear from God. If we are to see a renewal of God-honoring Christianity, we will need a revival of the Word of God. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17 NKJV).  Make a decision this year to get into God’s Word. God will definitely be speaking in 2012, but will we be listening?