“2 And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of the bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burned up?” 4 And Yahweh saw that he turned aside to look, so God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not come near here. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” – Exodus 3:2-5 LSB
When I look through the text of Scripture, I see that God speaks to people in particular spots, or locations.
• For Abraham, it was the oak of Mamre (Genesis 13:18).
• For Hagar, it was a spring on the road to Shur (Genesis 16:7&8).
• For Joshua, it was Gilgal (Joshua 5:2-9).
• For David, it was the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1).
• For Daniel, it was an upstairs window facing Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10)
• For Paul, on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4)
• For Cornelius, it was his home (Acts 10:3).
• For the Apostle John, it was on the Island of Patmos (Revelation 1:10).
God can show up anywhere, anytime, anyhow. Why? According to rabbinical teaching, it is to show that no place is devoid of God’s presence if one “seeks for Him.”
“But from there [scattered to foreign lands] you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” – Deuteronomy 4:29 NKJV
When I think back over my life in Christ, I can recount many, many, spots from which God spoke to me when I sought Him. For the vast majority of Christ followers, God doesn’t just show up; we have to search for Him!
“Yahweh is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.” – Psalm 145:18 LSB
I know there are those who believe that God speaks only through Scripture. God will never speak to us contrary to Scripture. I believe, however, that as long as our methodology doesn’t disregard orthodox theology, we are on good ground. We might even be on holy ground. Believing that God exclusively speaks through Scripture is a well-meaning mistake that’s often perpetuated by those who hold the highest view of Scripture, as I do. I certainly believe that the Bible is in a category by itself as the inspired Word of God and that the Canon of Scripture is closed. But we actually undermine Scripture’s authority when we discredit God’s ability to speak to us now in the same way He did in the pages of the Bible.
When I survey the Scripture, I see God showing up in strange places, at strange times, in strange ways. And I don’t think anything has changed. God certainly won’t contradict himself, but He is still predictably unpredictable! He still uploads desires, opens doors, and inspires our aspirations. He still speaks through promptings and people and pain. And just as he did for Moses, he can turn any patch of ground into holy ground.
The Summer of 1967
Sometimes, God speaks to us through the language of our emotions. I know we shouldn’t make all of our decisions based solely on emotions, but we shouldn’t ignore them either.
In the summer of 1967 when I was on summer staff working with Campus Crusade for Christ, the Lord laid on my heart Psalm 37:4,5
“4 Delight yourself in Yahweh; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to Yahweh, Trust in Him, and He will do it.” – Psalm 37:4-5 LSB
That summer I met Linda Lee Schellack, a beauty from Oklahoma! I couldn’t believe it when God asked: Dale, are you delighting in me? I said, “yes Lord I am delighting in you!” Then he said, “I am giving you the desires of your heart! Pursue Linda Schellack!” I did and the rest is history!!
For years I have heard how John Wesley came to faith in Christ. He claimed that his heart was “strangely warmed.” That sounds awfully subjective, doesn’t it? But the divinely inspired feeling is a testament to the God who speaks to us at the level of emotion, and there is biblical precedence for this.
The Road to Emmaus
Remember the inspiring story of the disciples who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection? The Lord appeared and walked with them. They were emotionally downcast, because the category of a resurrection was not in their mindset. Sometimes when we’re in an emotional funk, we often miss what is right in front of our faces. I know this is true for me when I am emotionally struggling, and discouragement sets in. My perspective is altered toward unbelief.
Because they did not recognize Him, Christ rebukes them.
“25 And He said to them, “O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He interpreted to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” – Luke 24:25-27 LSB
My friends, this is simply magnificent! I wish I was there listening to our Lord cite His presence in the Book of the Covenant (OT).
After arriving at their destination, they broke bread together and Christ began to give it to them. “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him and He disappeared from their sight” – Luke 24:31.
Do you remember what they said to each other after this?
“And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was opening the Scriptures to us?” – Luke 24:32
Responding to This Teaching
#1 Please list a few spots where the Holy Spirit has spoken to you and how that impacted your life. Sometimes, recounting our past experiences with Him propels us forward.
“Come and hear, all who fear God, And I will recount what He has done for my soul.” – Psalm 66:16 LSB
#2 Look up a few of the biblical characters I cited and jot down your insights. It’s always beneficial to look at the context.
#3 Name encounters with God, when you were in the Scriptures, and your “heart was strangely warmed.”
Remembering God’s speaking spots with you!
Dale