Ask Me Help Desk - Do our dead loved ones hear us when we talk to them?

I really don't think anyone knows the answer to your question. There's a lot of speculation out there, but no proven facts.

This is a question that has been debated for a while amongst the clergy, and believers as well, and there is really only one way to answer this... with Scripture. God has repeatedly made it clear in his Word that guidance is never to be obtained from mediums, physics, sorcerers, or anyone else, but rather, from the Lord himself.
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" - 1 Timothy 2:5
... when we talk to our dead loved ones... do they hear us... I personally don't believe they do because we are promised a rest where peace will abound and no more tears... if our loved ones can hear us, then they would not have this peace because the world is in such a mess that they would worry and be anxious for those they left behind and this does not add up with God's Word. We are guided by the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus said He would send to us to show us all things and to listen to Him.
Jesus is the Head, and we are the body. Jesus is our representative before God, to reconcile us to him. Jesus is our master, whose yoke is easy and burden light. He is our ruler, who protects and shelters us. He is our husband, lover of our souls, who sacrificed himself for us; we are his grateful bride. He is our King, who reigns over all in righteousness and peace. He truly, as David foretold, sits at the right hand of the Father until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. He is all this, we declare to ourselves and the world, for us! He is Jesus Christ, his Father’s Son, fully God, and our Lord, fully man! He is the only 'man' who can hear us because He is alive and is the First Born from the dead and this is why He makes intercession for us to the Father.
So, I would say 'no, they don't hear us!

Do they hear us? Nobody knows... but as pastorjan mentioned from a biblical account contact with them is forbidden. I'd say probably not.

Taking this from a non-biblical point of view, there are many who claim to still feel their loved ones near them and who speak to them even if there isn't proof of the dead hearing them. I was raised Catholic and was taught that we could pray to those who were no longer with us for them to speak to God on our behalf at those times when God was too busy to answer our prayers. I was also told, when I was angry at God for taking my father away from me when I was 19, that I could go out into the field behind my house and scream at God if I so desired. If God didn't like it, there would be a big bolt of lightning and I'd be sent directly to Hell. If there was no bolt of lightning, then at least I would get out my anger.
I'm still here.
In short, I'll give you the same advice I got: If it makes you feel better to talk to your dead as if they're still here with you and God doesn't send you a definite sign to stop, go for it - just don't do it in front of others because that may land you in a padded room. As the others pointed out, there are many opinions as to whether they can actually hear you, but we won't know for sure until we join them.

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Originally Posted by tiggerella

Taking this from a non-biblical point of view, there are many who claim to still feel their loved ones near them and who speak to them even if there isn't proof of the dead hearing them. I was raised Catholic and was taught that we could pray to those who were no longer with us for them to speak to God on our behalf at those times when God was too busy to answer our prayers. I was also told, when I was angry at God for taking my father away from me when I was 19, that I could go out into the field behind my house and scream at God if I so desired. If God didn't like it, there would be a big bolt of lightning and I'd be sent directly to Hell. If there was no bolt of lightning, then at least I would get out my anger.
I'm still here.
In short, I'll give you the same advice I got: If it makes you feel better to talk to your dead as if they're still here with you and God doesn't send you a definite sign to stop, go for it - just don't do it in front of others because that may land you in a padded room. As the others pointed out, there are many opinions as to whether or not they can actually hear you, but we won't know for sure until we join them.

I'm sorry you were raised in such ignorance. It's that type of thing that hurts real Christianity. "If God was too busy to answer our prayers..."... wow.

Iam a Christian ,I believe in our lord savior Jesus , I was taught when we died we are resting in tell our lord and savior came back ,What I'm about to tell u I put this on the soul of my next unborn child on my life .I never believed stories people told about love one contacting them I thought they just wanted attention cause it never happen to me . On September 6 , 2013 my daughter father was murder walking to his car from a family member house shot 6 times in the back , I have not talk to him in a week ,we been together since I was 11 I am now 28yrs old , we have a 9yr old little girl together she's our only child, he was laid to rest on the 16 of September my daughter and I did not attend, when he died he took a part of me I can't explain the pain u have to go threw it , my daughter didn't want to see her father like that so I understood , I cried I hollered I scream god please just let me see him I begged for him to come to me , then I said to myself who am I for God to break the rules for me ,October went by nothing, I thought of him everyday yes I cried but not as before, the second month exactly the day he dies November 6 ,2013 after 12am I went to sleep I woke up in the shower fully clothe no water running someone came in the bathroom I pulled the shower curtain back it was my daughter father in the flesh, we held each other he was only allowed to say 8 words to me I count them everyday this is the only dream I remember from beginning to end , I ask can u stay ? He said I cant. I'm sorry, he started to cry he said I can't change it , I woke up . I cried, I cried , I just wanted him to stay a little bit longer I knew he couldn't stay , I gave God praise I fell to my knees,God didn't have to allow him to visit me but he did , I had no closure God felt my pain I made a promise to God that day I will repay him by living in his word , I believe.. in the name of Jesus I believe

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Quote:

Originally Posted by hauntinghelper

I'm sorry you were raised in such ignorance. It's that type of thing that hurts real Christianity. "If God was too busy to answer our prayers..."...wow.

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How about this for Christians raised in ignorance? A person from the church I grew up in, who worked at the college lunch room I was going into told me "If you were a GOOD Catholic, your father wouldn't have died. God would have heard your prayers and let him live."

I read the Bible from cover to cover after that, looking for the verse that stated that God would smite those I loved for things I did or didn't do. There is NOTHING in that book that states that Christianity involves being a sheep, believing only what others want you to believe. It states that when you pray, God will give you an answer - and sometimes that answer is "No". It states that God has no rule about speaking to the dead - but that one shouldn't expect an answer.

And above all, there are many calls to love one another, respect one another, and live in freedom - such as this one: Galatians 5:13 -For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Nowhere in the Bible does it state "Call your brother ignorant because he doesn't believe in Me as you do."

It was comments like the one I have shared above and your comment about me being raised in ignorance that made me turn my back on organized religion. My church is the world around me. My prayers are for world peace and for others to treat me as they would want to be treated. I don't use my Bible as a weapon to try to make others live as I do, but as a guide for how God prefers that I live my life - by reaching out to others and helping them to find the peace they need to survive in this world.

So if I want to talk to my dead relatives and believe that they can hear me, does that affect your life and the way you wish to believe? Not one bit unless I chose to force my belief down your throat using the name of God as my reason for doing so.

Will God punish me for doing so? That remains to be seen, and won't come to pass until I leave this life - and if I leave in in a flash of lightning because God got angry at me, so be it. That's between Him and me.