SURPRISED BY THE VOICE OF GOD
By Jack Deere

Overview
The author of this book, Jack Deere, has a self-confessed Bible deist. This simply means he believed God spoke only through the Bible, and God's voice from any other quarter could not have been God. Such things as the prophetic, dreams and visions were acceptable for Biblical times but since we now have the completed Bible, God has no need for these tools any more. Deere's former beliefs make his testimony of being surprised by the voice of God all the more convincing. He has learned that yes God speaks to us through the Bible but it is not the only means to hearing his voice. God is just as eager to speak to us through the prophetic today as he was in Biblical times.

"Surprised by the Voice of God" is a balance of theological and charismatic teaching. Every thought is rooted and grounded in the Word. Jack Deere has managed to successfully marry the Bible with the prophetic. They are together the mouthpiece of God and the word 'together' is the crux of this book. God is a person with whom we are to become intimate, and it is in that place of intimacy that he speaks to us. He may choose to speak through the Bible, giving us revelation, or he may choose the prophetic and often it is the two combined. Since the Word is living, soaking ourselves in it means becoming acquainted with Jesus, who brings the Word and the Spirit together.

This is as much a book for the sceptic as it is for those already comfortable with the prophetic. Deere presents the supernatural voice of God as the voice of a loving and tenderhearted father in whatever form it comes. The book is rich with stories of ordinary Christians who have heard the voice of God, and love Him all the more because of it. Through these stories, Deere gives practical advice on ministering through the prophetic. Many of the stories are his own experiences of failure and weakness as he progressed in the prophetic.

The final chapter of the book presents us with an analogy, the point of which has been an ongoing theme throughout the book. The Word and the Spirit are compared to a marriage where any breakdown or divorce between the two leads to pain and disharmony. The church today has suffered this kind of divorce. It is a divided family growing up with separate parents, each thinking they're better that the other.

It's impact on me personally
God has recently begun to speak to me through the prophetic. I'd often prayed for the gift of prophecy but more along the lines of a vain hope rather than an actual request of God. I thought that prophesy was for those on a whole other spiritual plane than the rest of us. In "Surprised by the Voice of God" I was convinced that God longs to speak prophetically to all of his children just as he longs to speak to us through his Word. Sometimes we think God is very selective in whom he chooses to speak to, and that not all of us will have a 'burning bush' experience. Often it's seen as arrogance if we claim to hear God's voice on a regular basis. However I've learned that relationship is communication, and communication cuts both ways. God would never expect us to continue conversing with Him if he never spoke back to us. The prophetic is just another means through which we hear his voice.

Reading this book has made me all the more eager to hear his voice. I am much less likely to dismiss dreams and impressions as easily as I would have before. God speaks often in a still, small voice, a voice that can easily be overlooked if we choose to do so.

Lara Sheridan