The Search for God Page 5.5.1
The Way Of God
There is a saying in America “No cop, no stop.” While this phrase is often said in jest, the statement is used to explain to passengers why a driver did not stop at a stop sign or stop light when the rules of the road and the law say a driver should stop.
We see signs all around us. Signs for direction: “100 miles to Lexington,” “Lexington exit, turn here.” Signs for laws: “Do not litter, $50 fine,” “Speed limit 55.” However, each human is a free moral being; we are able to decide whether we follow the directions or the laws provided.
The way of God
If we violate the laws or get lost, often to excuse our mistakes, we offer phrases like, “No cop, no stop,” to justify our lawlessness. When we are looking for signs from God, we are looking for direction in our lives and answers to questions we are unable to provide for ourselves.
Isn’t that the real question? We approach the eternal, or some powerful being, seeking answers or assistance to the problems we desire, yet the other being, in this case, God, has his own agenda and plan.
Humans go seeking knowledge and advice, and God’s purpose and communication could be completely different than we expect. So, when we ask, “What signs should communication from God display?” the things he does or says could be completely different than what we expect.
So the first thing to understand is that we are either the seeker or the expert. What I mean by this is that the student, the one in need, should approach in humbleness, acknowledging the deficiency of knowledge and ability to get what we want.
The one with knowledge, the one with the power to provide and the knowledge to answer, might ask something in return or might not. Either way, we should not be surprised. So humans shout out their needs into a universe to this invisible transcendent being. How might he answer?
God’s Purpose
Again, we must look to God’s presumed attributes: omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, timelessness, and most of all, we must look to God’s purpose. We often miss or misunderstand his purposes. If he exists, then he is a being in his own right, with his own will and own desires.
Therefore, he would have a purpose in creating and a purpose in communicating. The communication from God could display all sorts of signs:
- An audible voice
- Appearances or manifestations
- Wonders
- Miracles
Our job is not to guess how these signs might meet our expectations. Our job is to look for the road signs that say, “I, God, am speaking to you.” These signs might provide comfort if the signs or answers mesh with our desire, but these signs can provoke anger and frustration when they deviate from our own desires.
Maybe God sends a proverbial police officer when we are speeding to give us a ticket, a warning to slow down. Do we ignore the advice? Maybe God offers an exit to find the answer we seek but the exit is crowded or looks like a sketchy neighborhood, so we ignore the sign.
Maybe our destination and answer for moral evil are already set and we bypass any information from God.
God is consistent in communicating.
God can communicate however he wants; our job is to look for displays of timelessness such as knowing the future, signs of omnipotence such as all-powerful miracles, things we cannot explain, and signs of omniscience such as knowing human thought, or knowing information humans cannot possibly know, like the future.
I wish I could offer specifics; I wish I could say this is how God would speak, but I can only speculate how he might, which means humans must be observant, keep an open mind, yet not abandon reason—which, if God exists, he gave to us as well, so that we are not deceived by false information.
God is not going to contradict himself. God is not going to say one thing to one group and another thing to another group that is completely opposite and contradictory. If you see this sign, you are looking at human understanding—consistency.
Another sign is that if God speaks to more than one person, then he would provide consistency in his message. God might show one person the trunk of the elephant and another the leg of the elephant, but the message is all pointing to something greater that God is building, a comprehensive picture of reality.
There might be a mystery, but to provide all knowledge immediately is unlikely. Humans, when we are born, grow in knowledge. I should expect God’s communication to provide clarity, and clarity is underpinned by consistency.
God’s Message is Clear
In America, a red, octagon with the white letters STOP is a stop sign. The message is clear and consistent. If we changed these signs and had 100 different variations, confusion would result. What if someone decided to make a red octagon with the letters GO in the center?
Confusion, accidents, and disaster would result. God’s message is not going to contradict, the message is going to be clear and consistent. The message might be hard to understand, and we might not like the message, what else would you expect from the being who knows everything and speaks to humans with his own purpose in mind?
Therefore, as always, humans should be observant, open-minded, humble, and reasonable while searching for communication that is clear. Clear communication should be consistent, offering information of cosmic proportions that might display all sorts of amazing miracles, feats, and wonders.
What signs should communication from God display? Keep your eyes open, the signs should be fairly obvious.
What Next?
- What is the crucial concept?
- The signs of communication from God can include miracles, prophecy, wonders, and judgment.
- Why is that significant?
- God’s nature and attributes will dictate how he communicates.
- If you agree, the next steps.
- If you disagree, please consider reading.
References and Links
- Living Stream Ministry – What is God’s Purpose?
- Travis Agnew – God Doesn’t Contradict Himself