Prayer is just half of the equation. A relationship with God – a “friendship” as I’ve been defining it – requires communication. And communication must be two-sided. We talk with God in prayer. God hears. We believe this; that’s why we pray. But in the communication process, does God talk back? If so, can we hear him?

Have you ever heard God speak? No, we won’t automatically think you’re crazy! 

My second book, co-written with Jennifer Schuchmann, Nine Ways God Always Speaks, explores this flip side of the prayer dialog – how does God talk to us, and how can we hear him? Here’s the excerpt from the first chapter:

Right now you are being bombarded with hundreds of thousands of electronic signals. You can’t see them but they’re constantly swirling around you. Each signal has a specialized frequency. The electronic current has variations depending on whether it is an AM or FM radio, UHF or VHF television, cell phone, cordless phone, walkie-talkie, Wi-Fi, pager, or satellite signal.

At any time, you can tap into any signal that you want. All you need is the proper decoder. Want the signal sent out by the American Broadcasting Company? Take your decoder and choose a channel that amplifies and decodes the signal into a television picture. For most of us, this means turning on the TV and using the remote to find our local ABC affiliate.

Want to talk to your mom? Pick up your handheld signaling device; enter a series of codes that will then be transmitted into an electronic frequency, and somewhere in Omaha your mom’s phone will ring. (Assuming, of course, that Mom lives in Omaha.)

Want to trade chapters with your co-author but one of you is at a Caribou Coffee in Minneapolis and the other is at Alley Beans in Canton, Georgia? With a couple of keystrokes, and through the magic of a connected computer, an electronic exchange of information takes place in less time than it takes to order a latte.

What if communication with God worked similarly?

What if there were divine signals constantly swirling around us? Is it possible that, like an electronic signal, we can tune into certain channels and hear God speak?

What if he is speaking to you right now? 

Could God be “beaming” a message to you right now? What “frequencies” might he be using? Can you tune in? How would this change your prayers?