I’m trying to learn to communicate with God.  I know we speak to Him through prayer… so does He speak back to us through the Bible?  When I ask for God’s perfect will on a subject, and I ask Him for confirmation in the Bible, and I open it and read on what He says, is the word that I read a promise?  Thank you for explaining, and God bless!

Sincerely,
Looking For Direction

Dear Looking For Direction,

God speaks to us through His Word.  If we want to know God’s desire for our life, we must use the Bible to get our instructions.  Faith comes from the Word (Rom 10:17), and the Bible contains all the information we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3).  If we want to understand what God wants for us, we can find the truth in the sum of His Word (Ps 119:160).  It isn’t as simple as just opening the Bible and putting your finger on a page and looking for a sign; the Bible takes study and effort.
God doesn’t answer our prayers by directly speaking to us, but His Word says that we should pray without doubting (1 Tim 2:8) and that we should ask in faith (Jas 1:6). God says there are very few things that will cause Him to ignore our prayers.  Read “Whose Prayers Count?” for the list of things that will make God turn His back on your prayers.  God never gets tired of hearing from His children.  Christians are to constantly seek Him in prayer.  The most direct example of this is Christ’s parable of the unjust judge in Lk 18:1-5.  Christ taught that parable, so “men ought always to pray and not to grow weary”.  God wants to hear from His people.  So don’t stop asking for help; He is listening.

     Let’s say there’s a king, a good one, in Israel.  He makes sure the nation is well and obedient.  He would make sure that the Mosaic Law and God’s commandments were followed.  But let’s say there’s something he’s not sure about, like say, something political about how the laws should be enforced.  He would want inquire of a prophet or seer because they’re gifted to divinely talk to God.  Since a prophet serves as a mouthpiece for God, would he provide the king with political advice as well as spiritual?

Sincerely,
Reviewing Roles

Dear Reviewing Roles,

The kings of Israel would inquire of God all the time for all sorts of things.  The first king of Israel, Saul, was upset because God would no longer answer his inquiries when Saul started behaving wickedly (1 Sam 28:6).  King David asked for God’s advice even when it came to battle tactics (2 Sam 5:23).  It was commonplace for the righteous kings to ask God for advice in all sorts of spheres.

     I hear people say Jesus is God; I also hear He is God’s Son; then I hear He is both… so who is Jesus besides just our Savior?

Sincerely,
Begin At The Beginning

Dear Begin At The Beginning.,

There are three parts to the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  This is most easily seen in Matt 3:16-17.  When Jesus was baptized, the Father spoke from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended as a dove.  Each of them is eternal (they were all at the creation – Gen. 1:1, Gen. 1:2, Col 1:15-17).  John 1:1 specifically says that Jesus is Deity.  Jesus is different than the Father, but He is part of the Godhead.  Jesus even said that He had always existed (Jhn 8:58).  The apostles worshipped Jesus as God (Jhn 20:28).

Jesus was also God’s son because He was given a physical body by God (Heb 10:5, Matt 1:18).  Jesus also obeyed the Father as a son would obey (Jhn 5:19).  Jesus was also the firstborn Son because He is the firstborn of the church – God’s children (Rom 8:29).  Jesus is completely deity, but He also has a unique role as the only member of the Godhead to have also lived in the flesh (1 Tim 3:16).

     I see things; I think God is contacting me; He wants me to do something, but I don’t know what.  Please, please answer this and tell me what to do!

Sincerely,
Motivated

Dear Motivated,

What you need to do is go to church.  The days of dreams and visions have passed.  In the past, God spoke to various people through dreams, visions, and prophecy, but today, He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (Heb 1:1-2).  Now that we have the complete and perfect Bible there is no need for God to give people individual dreams or visions (1 Cor 13:9-10).  It is through the Word of God that we learn how to live faithfully (Rom 10:17).

We are sure that the things you are seeing mean something, but they don’t mean anything supernatural or prophetic.  Our guess is that you have a great deal of internal struggle in your life, and this is affecting your vision, your mind, and everything else.  The fact that you are writing into this site tells us that you are trying to put the pieces together and get help.  One of the things that we do here at AskYourPreacher is try to connect people with a desire for answers (such as yourself) with congregations near them that can help them find long-term relief.  If you would like us to do that, just e-mail us back at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we will happily help in whatever way we can.

I have a friend who is constantly asking why God didn’t make us perfect in the first place since He knew we would fall.  I’ve tried to explain His love in giving us free will, but she can’t accept or understand that.

    I’ve always known He created us for His glory, and giving us free will allows us an opportunity to do that by choosing His will for our lives.  I just don’t know how to relate to my friend in a way that she understands and accepts.  Got any suggestions?

Sincerely,
Fumbling Friend

Dear Fumbling Friend,

You might try talking about the definition of ‘perfect’ with your friend.  ‘Perfect’ means ‘complete’ or ‘having all the desirable and required elements’.  Perfect doesn’t mean that something can’t be broken or fail.  A car engine can be in perfect condition, and yet, if you don’t put oil in it – it will break.  A house can be perfectly constructed and still be destroyed by an earthquake.  When God made Adam and Eve, He made them without defect (Gen 1:31).  They were made exactly as He intended them – in His image (Gen 1:26).  Adam and Eve were designed with eternal souls and the ability to choose their own destiny.  They were perfectly designed with the free will to choose to love God or to choose to rebel against Him.  In fact, if mankind were designed so that it would be impossible for them to sin – they wouldn’t have free will.  God has given us the great gift of choice, and it is up to us what we do with it (Deut 30:19).  God could have made us without the freedom to choose, but then we wouldn’t be “in His image”… we would be automatons.  If every parent had the choice between having a child that may break their heart or purchasing a robot that would obey their every command… well, the choice is obvious.  A robot is no replacement for a child.

      Are our experiences a gift from God to learn about God and give Him the glory?  How does God use us in our life?

Sincerely,
Life Lessons

Dear Life Lessons,

If we place our trust in the Lord, everything can be a positive experience – there is a reason we are told to rejoice in the Lord always (Php 4:4).  God tells us that we can even rejoice in tribulations (Rom 5:3) because eventually, if we suffer faithfully, our tribulations produce indestructible hope… a hope that cannot be taken away from us.  God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him (Rom 8:28).  A christian can always say, “I am better for having been through it.”  On the other hand, if we are outside of the Lord, there are no guarantees that things will turn out well… just one more reason to build your life upon the Lord.