Signs from God: How Does God Speak to Us Today?

It is widely acknowledged that prayer is not a one-way rambling, but a two person conversation. In our prayer life, we need to take the time and space for God to answer our prayers. It isn’t always easy to discern if we are truly hearing His voice or if it’s our own inner voice giving us the answers we think we want to hear from God.

Subscribe to the Great American Pure Flix Insider newsletter for the latest faith & entertainment news

That’s when we usually ask for signs from God. When we aren’t able to hear His voice clearly, we pray and ask for something a little more concrete that will guide us to His answer.

In one of Jill Wagner’s Farm and Family videos with Great American Lifestyle, she talks about how she’s asked God for signs in her own life and how she opened herself up to be able to see those signs. For more of her videos, subscribe to Great American Pure Flix.

In this article, we take a look at what can be signs from God, examples of signs from God in the Bible and how to become fully aware of the signs God is speaking to you.

Does God Always Hear Your Prayers?

One of the main reasons we’re usually asking for signs from God is for an answer to a prayer, or even just acknowledgement that He hears us. Rest assured, God hears all prayers and answers in His own timing. 

While that doesn’t often align with the timeline we want (maybe God is teaching us a lesson in patience!), He does indeed hear every one of our prayers. Let’s look at some Bible verses that reinforce this idea.

Matthew 7:7 (NIV)

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Perhaps one of the most well-known Bible verses about God hearing our prayers, Matthew 7:7 reminds us that we can ask God for anything, at any time, at any place. His ears are always listening. He continuously wants to hear from us and is open to any request we ask of Him. He will answer in His time.

John 10:27 (NIV)

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

When we pray to God, our prayers do not fall on deaf ears. When we continually choose to follow Him, He sees our commitment and shows us that He listens to the desires of our hearts. God loves each and every one of us unconditionally.

1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

This Bible verse about receiving signs from God gives us the confidence and bravery to ask big things of the Lord. We can be comforted in knowing that our God can handle all of our prayers - the small ones as well as the big ones. We should not be afraid to ask God to move our lives in big and meaningful ways.

Matthew 21:22 (NIV)

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

There can be times when we feel like we don’t believe that God can provide for the requests we’re asking. But this scripture reminds us of the parable of the mustard seed: so long as we have faith as small as a mustard seed, God will provide for us. Have confidence and believe that God will indeed hear and answer your prayers.

Read Also: 10 Christian Movies that Will Renew Your Faith

Signs from God in the Bible

There have been many times in the Bible where God gave signs to His prophets and His followers so that they could hear His voice and follow His will. Let’s take a look at some of these specific examples of signs from God in the Bible.

Moses and the Burning Bush

The minute Moses saw the Burning Bush that was on fire but wasn’t being consumed, he knew it was something from God. Sure enough, as he got closer, he heard the Lord’s voice loud and clear, telling him he was on sacred ground. It was at the Burning Bush that the Lord instructed Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, which ultimately led to the parting of the Red Sea and the Jews’ freedom from captivity.

And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” - Exodus 3:12 (NIV)

This story from the Bible shows us that when God shows up, oftentimes it’s in an unexpected and unique way. Just as Jill talks about in her video, we must always stay alert and be aware of wherever God might send us a sign.

The Lord Appears to Elijah

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” - 1 Kings 19:11-13 (NIV)

Elijah was hiding, scared for his life when he heard God’s voice in the cave. He was on the lookout for God, waiting for Him to show Himself. How many times have we also found ourselves in a similar situation? When we’re waiting and waiting for God to move or show up in a big gesture. Instead, Elijah finds God not in the earthquake or strong wind but in a gentle whisper.

God may not always show up in these large and grandiose ways, but instead show His gentleness and subtleness. This is just another example of how we can find a sign from God.

Read Also: 5 Encouraging Morning Prayers to Begin Your Day

Joseph, Son of David, Dreams

Mary’s spouse, Joseph, had four different dreams where God spoke to Him surrounding the events of Jesus’ birth. Because of Joseph’s obedience to God’s word in his dreams, the child Jesus was born safely and protected from the evils of King Herod.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt - Matthew 2:13-14 (NIV)

Joseph didn’t have any question or doubt that his dreams came from the Lord, but rather obeyed them right away. When we hear God’s voice and receive a sign from the Lord, we must not delay in fulfilling His call.

How Does God Speak to Us Today?

So, if those are some historical Biblical examples of God sending signs to His people, how does He continue to speak to us today through signs?

As Jill mentions, it can be as simple as turning on the radio and hearing a song with the message you were looking for. Or driving in traffic while (safely) praying to God and suddenly seeing a specific road sign on your route. Other ways God can communicate through signs:

• Scripture: Of course the first place we can find answers we’re looking for and words from God is the Bible! If you’re looking for something specific, ask the Holy Spirit for guidance as you open Scripture and point you to a verse that speaks to your needs.
• Other people: We may converse about something that’s going on in our lives with multiple people. Are they all telling you the same thing? It might be God trying to use the power of your community to show you the way.
• Song: A song may keep cropping up in our life and “following” us wherever we go - whether that be in the car or at the grocery store or even just stuck in our head! What is the message of this song and does this pertain to anything you’ve been asking God of lately?
• Visions and dreams: Just like Joseph, God can speak to us through our dreams (or daydreams). They may provide a warning for us, or give us a vision of what our future will look like (or someone else’s future!). Continually discern if these dreams and visions do indeed come from the God of light or from the enemy.
• Nature and our surroundings: We can take the time to look at our surroundings and find God in a flower blooming, a bird visiting our front porch or an incredible sunset. These signs give us insight into what God is trying to tell us at that moment.

Cultivating a Listening Heart in Prayer

As Jill mentioned, always looking for signs and hearing God’s answer to our prayers takes practice. We must open our eyes and our hearts to welcome these signs. Thankfully, we don’t have to do that alone. 

Cultivating a listening heart means asking the Holy Spirit to be with us. Signs from God can come as nudges from the Holy Spirit inside our hearts. The Holy Spirit can help us to discern if what we’re hearing is a sign from God or coming from the enemy. Here are a few questions we can ask ourselves to discern where this sign might be coming from:

1. Is it coming from sacred Scripture?
2. Does it agree with sacred tradition and our faith’s teachings?
3. Will the sign and the direction it’s asking of us lead us to become more like Jesus?
4. Is it consistent with our vocation and responsibilities?
5. Is it consistent with the person God is calling us to be?
6. Is there peace within your heart at the sight of the sign and the decision that comes from it?
7. Does it build up the kingdom of God?
8. What is the fruit of your action or decision?

Spending some quiet time with the Lord is the best way to become more observant of the signs God is sending us. Anytime we see a sign, we can ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and understanding of its true meaning.

If you enjoyed Jill Wagner’s Great American Lifestyle videos, subscribe to Great American Pure Flix for a treasure trove of more great tips and tidbits! Sign up for your free trial here.