(03/40) 25 Ways God Guides People in the Bible

And, make sure you to scroll to the end of the newsletter for a fun graphic I made for you of 25 ways God guides people in the Bible.

Once, as part of a story I was telling, I made an off-handed comment about a time in my life that I sensed God say something to me. I was matter-of-fact about it, provided no explanation, and moved on with the story. Then, afterward, a friend of mine asked me, What did you mean when you said that God spoke to you?

She was curious about my experience of hearing God, and she wanted to fill in the details that I left out of the story. She might have been wondering what many people wonder when someone says God spoke to them:

• Was it an audible voice—as clear as her own?

• Was it closer to a divine hunch—a nudge in my soul?

• Did I experience some kind of sign?

• Was it a word of Scripture—perhaps, opened at random?

Honestly, ever since that conversation, I’ve been a bit curious myself every time I hear someone mention that God spoke to them. I often find myself saying, “Yes, but how?”

In fact, if you ever read through the Bible, you’ll discover that one of the most common phrases is, “The Lord said…” But, it’s frustrating how little we’re told about how the Lord said what he said.

I keep asking, “Yes, God is speaking, but, for the love of God, how?” The biblical storytellers, just like many of us, are often very matter-of-fact about God speaking, provide little-to-no explanation, and move on with the story as if we know what’s going on. They don’t seem as interested in explaining how someone heard God’s voice, just what they did with it.

Some skeptics might say, “Well, the Bible doesn’t provide any explanation because we’re not meant to hear God’s voice like they did.” But, it’s also possible that the Bible’s glaring lack of explanation (at times!) might have more to do with the fact that the Bible’s authors are assuming its readers will know what they mean and be able to fill in the details themselves.

That’s what we have to do in Samuel’s story, which we covered in the previous email. We’re told very little about how precisely he hears God’s voice. When he says, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” there’s actually all kinds of ways God might have spoken to him—and, an audible voice, is just one option.

Audible Voice (and 24 Other Ways God Guides People in the Bible)

In college, my friend Troy created a spinner to hear from God about a decision he was facing. Yes, a spinner—like a Wheel of Fortune-style spinner to hear from the God of the universe.

In the spring semester, every student was required to go on a trip—to help out some organization somewhere in the world for a week. Some trips were cheap and local, some were global and required fundraising.

All the options were morally neutral, and he honestly didn’t care where he went, so he made a spinner with all the options within a certain price range and date range. Then, he prayed, spun the wheel, and signed up for the trip he landed on.

It landed on Portland, and that’s where he went.

Did he hear from God? I don’t know, probably. Was this a legitimate way to try to hear from God? According to the Bible, possibly.

Some of us questioned his sanity, but he made a good biblical case that making a spinner was the equivalent of “casting lots”—a surprisingly frequent way that people get guidance from God in the Bible.

In Acts 1:23-26, for example, when the remaining followers of Jesus are trying to figure out how to replace Judas, it says, “So they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, ‘You, Lord, know everyone’s hearts; show which of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry that Judas left to go where he belongs.’ Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles.”

If that’s not the equivalent of making a spinner, I don’t know what is.

With moments like that in mind, I read through the whole Bible and made a note of every time the Lord speaks and any relevant details about how exactly he guided people. Some of these ways make a “spinner” feel a bit more sane than I previously imagined.

Here’s just twenty-five of the ways that God guides people in the Bible—some of which happen in both the Old and New Testament:

1. Audible voice

2. A dream (sometimes with the help of a dream interpreter)

3. Angelic messengers

4. A vision when you least expect it

5. A burning bush in the wilderness + an audible voice (Exodus 3)

6. A pillar of fire at night and a cloud during the day (Exodus 13:20-22)

7. “Urim and Thummim” (Exodus 28:29-30 and 1 Samuel 14:41-43)

8. Casting “lots”—similar to the above, but the Apostles and pagan sailors did it too (Proverbs 16:33, Jonah 1:7, and Acts 1:26)

9. Prophets—people who heard God’s voice in one of these ways and spoke it to people

10. A talking donkey—yes, like in Shrek (Numbers 22:22-41)

11. An audible voice + an angel overcooking some meat and bread (Judges 6)

12. A sign of a wet fleece on a dry floor (again, Judges 6)

13. A sign of a dry fleece on a wet floor (do I need to say it again?)

14. An internal nudge in the heart or spirit (Ezra 1:1)

15. The public reading the Scripture (Nehemiah 8:3-6 and 1 Timothy 4:13)

16. An audible voice out of a whirlwind (Job 38:1)

17. A “soft whisper” that’s specifically not out of a whirlwind (or earthquake or fire, for that matter) (1 Kings 19:11-13)

18. The sign of the sun’s shadow going back ten steps + a prophetic word (2 Kings 20:1-11)

19. Wise advice / counsel (Proverbs 11:14)

20. A guiding star (Matthew 2:1-12)

21. An audible voice from a cloud on a mountain (Luke 9:34-36)

22. A blinding light + an audible voice (Acts 9)

23. A word from the Holy Spirit in the context of fasting, prayer, and worship (Acts 13:1-3)

24. Resistance (Acts 16:6-7)

25. “Open doors” (not to be confused with open windows, which aren’t in the Bible) (1 Corinthians 16:8-9)

Which of these 25 ways that God guides people in the Bible did you find most interesting? (And did I miss any?) Let me know in the comments.

I am not pretending like these are all meant to be repeated experiences by us. Of course, the Bible is the Spirit-inspired highlights from a few thousands years of history, and there’s a danger in thinking all of these moments are normal.

Yet, at the same time, the variety reminds us of something Madeleine L’Engle wrote in Walking on Water, “The Holy Spirit does not hesitate to use any method at hand to make a point to us reluctant creatures.” And, the Bible is proof of that.

Still, in most cases, I don’t recommend making a spinner—but, who am I to stop you.

In my next email, I will boil this list down to a simple framework for hearing from God that I’ve been teaching people for years—and, it’s so simple you can draw it on a napkin.

P.S. Here’s a free graphic you can share.