"You know -- you know without a doubt in your mind that you have heard God’s voice.”
We are a civilization that survives off of how-to guides. Start typing “How to” in the Google search and you will pull a list of the most popular searches. Actually, don’t. You might not want to know what people are searching.
When I started writing, I read about driving traffic to your site. I read how to title your posts. I took classes on how to write. It came with a huge list of do’s and don’ts. There were rules and then graphics explaining how to use the rules.
Diving into online marketing, I studied the major social media platforms. I researched how to monetize your site – make money. There were affiliate ads to learn about and disclosures to write. And then the whole regulation side of running a business, even a small blog became overwhelming.
I did more research than I did writing. I bought time. And the funny part is I do none of the above. I don’t follow grammatical rules like I should. I don’t care about making money by putting pop-up ads everywhere.
Counting numbers; followers, likes and page views is a waste of time for me. So, I don’t even bother. Not that there is anything wrong with pursuing a business, it’s just not in my cards for now. I don’t have the time. If anything, I have gained valuable skills to put to use later.
I’ve learned being obedient, no matter how small you feel, is the only thing to do. If God wants to reach someone with a particular word, then it will happen. When God wants you to talk to a person, he puts you in her path.
One of the things you have probably noticed is the random titling of my posts. I read many guides on titling your writings to draw people in. I obviously don’t follow any rules. Having grown up in the never-never land of information overload – I despise how-to’s.
And guess what? Most of the articles on proper titling have you start with How To...
This guidance reminds me of the many articles titled “How to Hear God’s Voice.” I've seen countless videos, books and articles on this subject.
Most of the articles I’ve read are actually explaining how to hear God’s voice through reading his written Word. While we speak to God in prayer, He speaks to us through His Word. As we read, we must consider the words of the Bible to be the very words of God.
The articles usually touch on how God speaks through others or even in your dreams. This is a blessing to feel the Holy Spirit’s presence profoundly. Pray that He will awaken your spirit to receive these blessings.
Then the articles get to the audible part. You know actually hearing His voice – just like many of the people in the Bible.
Strangely, most of the authors describe a still, small voice. They explain how to discern if it was really His voice. Because, often they say it sounds like your voice.
While I agree on the fact that God will never ask you to do anything against Scripture; if God wants to audibly speak to you – He will.
You will know.
It kind of reminds me of the passages about Mary Magdalene and the “gardener.” When Mary encounters the resurrected Jesus, he must not look like he did three days before, because she mistakes him for a gardener. She’s caught up in a frenzy trying to locate Jesus’ body.
He is talking to her and she still doesn’t know his real identity.
Then he says, “Mary.”
And she knew. She just knew.
This is exactly how someone close to me explained it, “You know -- you know without a doubt in your mind that you have heard God’s voice.”
She was a young woman at her lowest when she heard His voice. She had just lost her mom and while she was curled in the fetal position on the floor, she heard “I will be your friend.”
It gave me chills when she told me this story.
She gave her life to Christ. He has held her hand through many devastating times since the day she was on the floor. And Christ has given her an abundance of joy as well.
“The still small voice.” I’m sure this is how some hear His voice.
But I laugh at this description, because there is nothing still or small about the way God spoke to my friend.
He was walking up the long stairs of a military storage facility, with reenlistment papers in his hand. My friend would climb a few stairs and then stop immediately as he heard the word “No!” This happened several times actually.
He described God’s voice as firm and loud.
But my friend being the stubborn person he is, kept going and turned in his reenlistment papers. I can only imagine how things might be different had he obeyed.
My friend voiced his regrets – if only he had listened. He knew in his heart reenlisting was not a good decision. And the resounding, “no” didn’t stop him.
He heard His voice again while serving in the desert. I’m not sure what he heard. This particular time was for him and God alone. Whatever it was, you could tell by his expression he knew without a doubt who was talking to him.
When I heard God’s voice, it was the toughest night of my life. I was at the lowest of lows.
“Get up.”
It wasn’t small or a whisper. It wasn’t yelling. It was a stern, but loving voice, like a Father guiding His daughter. He knew I needed help to get back up. Again and again.
I asked him to confirm, “Is that you God?” He responded with words only someone who intimately knows me would say.
And well, those words were just for me.
Here’s the thing. I’m not sure why God talks to some people and not others. There’s no step by step guide. I wish I could write an accurate How-To for everyone to experience it.
I honestly don’t know if you could pray enough to hear His voice. I know I had never prayed to audibly hear Him when it happened to me.
I'm not even sure why I wrote about this subject. I think it is just another testimonial of how undeniably real He is.
I do know all three of us were at the lowest of lows.
We were alone.
God wasn’t leaving us behind.
And He will not leave you behind either.
God is real -- without a doubt.
Comments