Is it true that at one time people spoke the same language, and does God speak to us in our own language?

Q: Is it true that at one time people spoke the same language, and does God speak to us in our own language? — O.L.

A: Before the great flood of Noah’s time people communicated in one language. After the flood event, another crisis emerged when the people again revolted against God. Defiant of God’s laws and provisions, they wanted to reach into the heavens by building a tower designed to rise above everything else in the world. It was really the “religion” of the people, exalting man instead of God. Judgment fell upon the human race and God confused the languages. The name of the place was called Babel, which means ‘to confuse.’ The Bible records that the Lord scattered them over all the earth, and because of man’s rebellion against Him, we experience difficult communications among the nations even today. This is a judgment from God.

But God’s Word is not limited in time and space; it is not limited by language or culture. The Word [the Bible] is God-breathed (see 2 Timothy 3:16).

With the invention of the printing press and the tremendous advances in learning linguistics, God’s Word is readily available in hundreds of languages around the world. God is not bound by language.

Likewise, prayers have no boundaries. God can hear and understand the prayers of those who earnestly seek Him. Our prayers, while uttered in our own language, leap miles and continents — right to the ears of God. For those who have never accepted Christ as personal Savior and Lord, the Bible says: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). To those who walk with Him, the Lord declares that His ear is not “dull, that it cannot hear” (Isaiah 59:1, ESV). These are the promises of God.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

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