Becoming Rooted - How Does God Speak to Us?

Aug 14, 2026 · 7 min read

Week 3 - How Does God Speak to Us?

Memorization Verse

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.
Ephesians 6:17-18

Most people who tried talking to God probably felt a similar way: "OK, I said my piece, now what?" It's understandable, most people don't hear anything audible when talking to God (if you do, you're either blessed beyond belief or you might need to see a doctor). However, we do know that God listens, and that sometimes His answers aren't what we expect, and sometimes they're outright not what we want. You might ask yourself why, and in due time you'll see that His way is better and that He knows why, but until then you might feel unheard, or worse - betrayed.

"Why didn't He do what I asked Him? Why is He allowing this to happen? Where is He in all of this?" These are all familiar questions, and most of them have very personal answers, but I'm positive that if you take a few moments to truly reflect on your situation, on what may happen if you listen to God, and what incredible plans He has for you, you'll be thrilled to go forward, even amidst the most troubling times.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ...No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
John 1:1, 14, 18

The embodiment of God in the person of Jesus was God's ultimate expression of His desire to communicate to us in a way we could grasp. In the passage above, we see that "Word" means Jesus, the Son of God. The writer, John, is introducing Jesus with a term that both his Jewish and Gentile readers would have been familiar with. For example, in the Old Testament, the "Word" of God is often personified as an instrument for the execution of God's will (Psalm 33:6, 107:20, 119:89, 147:15-18). So, for his Jewish readers, by introducing Jesus as the "Word", John is, in a sense, pointing them back to the Old Testament where the "Word" of God is associated with the personification of God's revelation. And in Greek philosophy, the term "Word" - Logos - was used to describe the agency by which God created material things and the communicated with them. So, in the Greek worldview, the Word was thought of as a bridge between God and man.

Then, God also sent His Spirit to continue communication. As Jesus promises to His disciples:

the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you
John 14:26

God desires to communicate and connect with us, since communication is central to intimacy. There are a few ways that God may speak to us:

  1. His creation (Psalm 19:1-4)
  2. Other people (Exodus 18, Judges 4, 1 Samuel 16, Daniel 2, Acts 15)
  3. Circumstances (Acts 16:6-10)
  4. Supernatural means (Exodus 3, Numbers 22, Judges 6, Isaiah 6)

Chief amongst these ways and what we base our claims on is the Bible. God's Word is one of the best way to communicate with Him. If you read a verse and a thought about someone pops into your head (assuming you were baptized and have the Holy Spirit), that might be God talking to you. The notion of the Bible being composed by both God and humans is called "dual authorship". The message originates from God, but He implants His thoughts into the human author. The writer, in turn, uses his style and personality to communicate the message. Assuming that we can trust the bible (see Can I Trust the Bible series), then knowing that it has not changed in a way that changes the meaning of the Word is impactful and important for our efforts to try and hear God.

The Bible is more than "a book". It is really more of a small library, a collection of 66 books written by 40 different authors in 3 different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) over a period of around 1,500 years. Quite amazing when you think about how coherent and consistent the Bible and its theme are. It is the story of how God relates to humans. More specifically, every book points to the main character: Jesus Christ. The Old Testament (written before Jesus) points to the need for a Savior to come, and the New Testament communicates how Jesus filled that need.

We also have our "divine helper" -- the Holy Spirit, who is eternal, everywhere, all-knowing, and all-powerful.

  • God gives us new life through His Spirit (Romans 8:11)
  • The Holy Spirit gives you wisdom and helps you think as God thinks (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)
  • The Holy Spirit gives you supernatural strength (Ephesians 3:16)
  • The Holy Spirit gives you godly virtues (Galatians 5:22-23)
  • The Holy Spirit gives you certain talents and gifts beyond your natural abilities to carry out God's purpose (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

And lastly, we have prayer. But prayer has to be done with the right mindset. If you are distracted, anxious, or fail to listen while praying, it might seem like your prayers go unanswered. When we don't listen to God, we can't hear His answer. Remember that God talks to us even in our silence, and that it is our job to listen and discern that our actions align with His will. Jesus modeled to us the power of prayer during His three-year ministry. First, we see Jesus speaking to God throughout His ministry. He talks to Him when He heals, before He eats, while doing ministry, during miracles, while He is alone, when He is in a crowd, and so on. But, Jesus didn't only talk to the Father, He also listened. For instance, when it came time for Him to choose the 12 men who would become His disciples, He spent the whole night in prayer (Luke 6:12-16). Only after talking and listening to His Father's wishes was He ready to make His choice. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before Jesus was killed, He prayed for God the Father to change the plan for the next day, and even though the plan remained the same, Jesus found strength in listening to His Father. Prayer is not just talking to God, it is giving space for Him to communicate back to us. He also provided us with the Lord's prayer:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus didn't give them this prayer so that they would see it as the only prayer, or to pray it mindlessly over and over again. He wanted to model some key ingredients in speaking effectively to God. Intimacy with God ("Our Father"), reverance ("Hallowed be your name", God's holliness), and boldness (asking for provisions and help). You can try to remember this with the acronym P-R-A-Y: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield.

There are many ways that God might talk to you, but you have to remember to take the time to listen.

As a side note: if you are taking part in the Rooted experience, this week is a powerful one, giving you the opportunity to take a full hour to pray and worship, guided by the booklet you are given, and of course by the Holy Spirit and God.