“All the biblical narratives of God’s direct communications with men are on the face of it exceptional, and the biblical model of personal guidance is quite different… God’s regular method of guidance is a combination of providence and instruction. What more he may do in a particular case cannot be anticipated in advance. But wisdom will always be given if we are humble and docile enough to receive it… The inward experience of being divinely guided is not ordinarily one of seeing signs or hearing voices, but rather one of being enabled to work out the best thing to do… Impressions need to be suspected before they are sanctioned and tested before they are trusted. Confidence that one’s impressions are God-given is no guarantee that this is really so, even when they persist and grow stronger through long seasons of prayer. Bible-based wisdom must judge them.”
J.I. Packer, God’s Plans For You, 97–98, 104.