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Hearing from God

             If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 13:1-5)

                 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.

 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” 

If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed. (Deuteronomy 18:19-22)

 

I’m always a little anxious about telling someone that God said something to me. Part of the reason is because of the passages above. Part is because I suspect they’ll think I’m crazy. Another part is because I’m afraid I’m wrong, even apart from the “put the prophet to death if he’s wrong” rule. I’m uneasy about people who too readily tell others that God told them something.

In Hearing God, Professor Willard cautions us that when God speaks to us, “It does not prove that we are righteous or even right. It does not even prove that we have correctly understood what he said. The infallibility of the messenger and the message does not guarantee the infallibility of our reception. Humility is always in order.” (p. 39. Emphasis in the original.)

So, how do we know when the message is from the Lord? First and foremost, it must not violate Scripture. Second, by praying and asking for confirmation. Third, by discussing the matter with Christian whose wisdom you trust and who is not involved in the situation.

Ultimately, Peter’s joining Jesus in walking on the water is a great guideline. Peter asked Jesus to confirm who He was. He asked Jesus to invite him out on the water and Peter got out of the boat. He didn’t look at the other disciples and demand that they join him and there is no record of his ever having used the incident to gain power over others or glory for himself. Like Lucy in Prince Caspian, we are to tell others, but if they don’t choose to follow, we are to go ourselves. And like Peter when he asked Jesus about John, what other disciples do is only our business if we’re asking out of love.

And whenever we hear someone say that God has told them something, it’s time to ask God for wisdom and discernment for both the one who heard and ourselves.

          

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