Where do we get the idea that God speaks to certain people and not to others, that He singles out some for His favour but not others?

I have discovered that God speaks to anyone who will listen. Yes, He had His chosen prophets to whom He gave messages for the king and the nation in the Old Covenant. His Word is full of prophetic messages designed to call the nation of Israel back to Himself and to encourage and guide them towards their destiny.

However, does He still speak to people today? We know that He is continually speaking through His written Word. The Holy Spirit and the Word are powerful witnesses to His will for His people but…does He still give specific instructions, or words of encouragement, or even promises to individuals on their journey through life?

I believe He does!

Psalms 25:14 NIV
[14] “The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”

The Hebrew word translated “confides” implies a secret shared in the intimacy of a close relationship.

“Strong’s h5475

• Lexical: סוֹד
• Transliteration: sod
• Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
• Phonetic Spelling: sode
• Definition: council, counsel.
• Origin: From yacad; a session, i.e. Company of persons (in close deliberation); by implication, intimacy, consultation, a secret.”

Let me share two such messages that came to me out of the blue which proved to be both prophetic and accurate.

On two occasions, as I was praying, the Holy Spirit spoke clearly to me in response to my petitions. The first was when load shedding was at its worst. I asked the Lord to intervene. To me it seemed an impossible request. Would God magically work a miracle to put Eskom back on its feet? I clearly heard these words in my spirit, “If my people pray, I will keep the lights on.”

That was all! No “how” or “when”, just a simple promise! I communicated the message to my church family. No doubt, many of God’s people around the country were praying. Looking back at my “mustard seed” of faith in that promise, I recognise God’s faithfulness, not in response to my faith but to His Word. Our country is not only, in the main, enjoying an uninterrupted power supply but we are also astounded at the sudden and apparently permanent turnaround. What happened?

Despite the officials at Eskom claiming the accolades for the sudden end of load shedding, we can give God the glory for honouring His promise, no matter to whom He spoke it.

The second message came in the form of a “vision”, a kind of mental picture of a huge ship slowing down and turning around, accompanied by these words, “The juggernaut is turning around.”

The dictionary definition of a juggernaut is “a huge, powerful, and overwhelming force.”

A few days later, I read an article in the “Daily Friend” magazine that recorded the words of a message by the president to a communist party gathering, referring to our government as “the ship of state”.

In the light of God’s word to me, I was electrified by the confirmation from a secular source. Months later, come the 2024 elections, the ANC party crashed to an under 50% outcome, forcing the party into a GNU.

What is happening in our country now? The “juggernaut” is being forced to slow down and turn around. God has put in place men and women who are resolute in their determination to steer the ship into calmer waters.

0The high-handed decision-making is being challenged. A greater measure of consultation and, albeit reluctant, concensus is happening, slowly but yet surely bringing hope and the promise of our “ship of state” moving in a better direction.

Does God still speak? Most surely, yes! Does God speak to anyone? Again, yes! He speaks to anyone who will listen, who will ask for a promise in any situation and will believe what He says because He is always faithful to His Word.

One important lesson I have learned from these two (and many more) times, when God spoke, is that God always honours His Word which sometimes results in a miracle, not the other way around. When I need help and call on the Lord, I ask for a word, not a miracle. Then I can be sure that He will always honour what He has said.