I know all of us would love to have a direct phone line to God, right? Sometimes we really just want concrete answers to our dilemmas. Countless times I have prayed to God, “Lord just tell me what to do and I will do it!” Maybe you can relate.
I have heard many sermons and teachings on this subject. We hear God through that still small voice, through reading his Word, through other people who God uses to speak wisdom into our circumstances or confirm what we already were thinking. Very rarely do you hear the stories of the audible voice of God, but sometimes we do. I vote for that one!!! Or a billboard would do, a text or an email would be great also!
All joking aside, I have always struggled with hearing God speak and being confident it was really him. Even when I feel so sure that God is directing me, I often later doubt if that was really God? I have had some times in my life when the messages came through so clearly that it left no room for doubt. Usually due to confirmation after confirmation came to me. This is an area in which I still have so much to learn and I deeply desire to recognize Gods voice. But until I get there, he is so gracious to me and doesn’t give up on me after one try. Sometimes I need a proverbial brick wall to fall on me to get my attention. Seriously!
While sitting here having my morning coffee, enjoying the quiet of my house (it wasn’t always that way) and being ever so grateful for the opportunity to be a stay at home wife and mother during this season of my life, God spoke to me. No, not audibly. But I heard him nonetheless. Let me explain. It’s a little lengthy.
For those of you that read my first two blog posts yesterday, you know that I just started this blog and why. I have felt God burning this dream on my heart for some time and though I may have overthought it, put it off longer than necessary, and just been plain scared to try, I finally did it!
Once I figured out how to link my first blog post to social media, the encouragement and responses I received from you, my friends, were amazing. (This is how God speaks to us through others!) I felt built up in my spirit! I felt courage and confidence to keep doing this crazy thing that God has been laying on my heart to do! I no longer feel insecure or stupid for trying something I was so unsure of. Most of the time we look at these moments from an earthly perspective and don’t always see Gods hand in it. We don’t hear his voice of encouragement through the words of others. I didn’t recognize God in the encouragements right away. I just finally got it this morning when he spoke to me again, in another way!
Jesus puts our cotton ears and foggy vision like this: For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes–so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. (Matthew 13:15-16)
We all have our moments when we do not see or hear what God is showing us or telling us. This is why we pray for eyes to see, ears to hear and a softened heart to receive and understand his Word. So hopefully we won’t miss the blessing!
So getting back to my morning coffee! I always spend time in the morning reading Gods Word through various sources. (I can talk about this in detail in another blog post) One of those sources is three separate daily devotionals from Pastors I highly regard, they come to my email every morning. (This is one way God speaks to us through his Word and teachings related to scripture.)
First, I read Greg Laurie’s Harvest Daily Devotional. Here is a small excerpt:
‘Sometimes we understand the circumstances of our lives, and at other times they mystify us. We make our plans, but God always will have His way. There is nothing wrong with making plans for tomorrow, next month, or next year. But just remember, the Lord may change your plans. He, not you, is in control of your life. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course” (Jeremiah 10:23). We are told in Proverbs 16:9, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” And Proverbs 20:24 says, “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” We call this divine providence.’
Pastor Greg went on to talk about one of the topics I covered in my second blog post about bad experiences and how God works things for our good and quoted the same scripture I quoted, Romans 8:28. At this point I was thinking, “wow that’s really cool.” That is what I just wrote about last night. Furthermore, I felt encouraged and built up in my blogging endeavor from the part about God directing our steps no matter what plans we make, divine providence in action! His timing is always perfect!
Second, I read Christine Caine’s devotional, First Things First. Here is an excerpt from her:
‘Use Your Gifts! Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms … so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 4:10-11).’
So I thought well isn’t that even more cool! A devotion about using your gifts to serve others and glorify God in the process! ‘To God be the glory’ is even the statement I make at the end of each blog post and here it is in my scripture for this morning! That is exactly what I want to do with my blog and what I wrote about in my blog posts yesterday! At this point I was seeing a pattern and thinking to myself how awesome God is that the day after taking such a huge step of faith, the Almighty arranged the topics of my devotions to so perfectly suit my situation and encourage me in the process. “You are so good to me that way God!”
Then I read my third and final devotion. Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. This is when it was clear, this was God speaking directly to me, confirming that I was obediently pursuing my calling and purpose in this season. His devotion title was Share Your Experiences! The whole devotion was amazing but again here is a small excerpt of the summary:
‘You have experiences in your life that could be barrier-busting, inspirational, and motivational to other people — but only if you’re willing to share them. This is one way you can encourage others and give them hope.’
Yessss! Hope! Inspiration! Motivation! Breaking barriers! This is what I want to do through blogging and sharing my story!
God you are so good, thank you for speaking so clearly to me, not through one of my devotions but through ALL THREE! I know I can be a little hard headed at times and not recognize you when you speak in every situation. But wow, my eyes are open now! From yesterday’s promptings and encouragement through friends, to today’s confirmations through scripture and teachings on scripture in my devotions. Only you God can orchestrate that kind of perfection. Thank you for loving me so much and reassuring me just when I needed it.
It just blows me away every time I hear him speak so clearly and personally to me! Oh how I love how he loves me. You can not truly encounter Jesus and be left the same!
So friends, I encourage you to ask for those intimate, sweet encounters with our Savior! Ask him to give you ears to hear and eyes to see and a heart that understands. He says you do not have because you do not ask. (James 4:2c) So ask him! He will come through and you will know it!
To God be the glory!
Hope Beyond This 