When God Speaks do we Hear Him?

Psalm 85:8, “I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.”
“How do you know when He is talking to you?” asked a six year old to his Sunday school teacher. How do you know when God is talking to you? This comes from a story about a teacher who had been teaching a class of six year children about how to love God and how God loves them. Children usually go right to the heart of the matter. In his lesson the teacher said you have to listen to God just like you listen to your parents. Well this made no sense to one boy. He knew how to listen to his parents because he could hear when they talked to him. How could he listen to God when he didn’t hear God speak? So how would you explain to a child just how to go about listening to God? At six most children know they hear with their ears and if they don’t hear anything with their ears then to them it is not said. When God speaks He speaks to the heart and that is confusing to a six year old.
As young Christians the same thing applies. The preacher says you must obey the commands of God. Ok but I didn’t hear God speak! Yes you did as you began to feel that there was something missing and there was a need to fill a hole inside you. God sent the Holy Spirit to begin to talk to you. Began to give you that empty feeling and also began to tell you things you never heard before. Things like God loves you, Jesus died for and forgave you on the cross. That small voice from inside that said that is wrong you need to stop and make some changes. That was God speaking. You did hear it right? In short God made you hungry for spiritual food so that you could grow close to Him.
But what about those who have not heard of Jesus how would they know God was speaking to them. God speaks through those who have come to know Him from a salvation experience and have been given the task to tell those lost and without to come inside and be saved. Come in out of the storm and be warm.
That’s how you know God is speaking. Are You listening? You lost and wandering in the storm? Jesus said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and I will give you rest.” How about those who are saved but still want to play in the storm and wind and rain? God is talking to you too. Hear the still small voice saying, you really shouldn’t be doing that or I could really use another Sunday school teacher, the choir needs another singer or when was the last time we had a chat?
God is talking are you listening?