My daughter asked me a thought-provoking question. How does God speak to you? In my women’s fellowship group one person talks about how God speaks to her through dreams. That hasn’t been my experience. How does He speak to you, Momma?
Good question, Erin. God speaks to me in a variety of ways.
Often it is in whispers. In order for me to hear Him, I need to follow Psalm
37:7, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” Sometimes those whispers
take the voice of a trusted Christian friend, sometimes on the wings of prayer,
and sometimes from a Scripture echoing through my mind.
God’s spoken to others in whispers:
1 Kings 19: 11-15 Then he was told,
“Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.” A
hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God,
but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God
wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the
fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. When Elijah heard the
quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the
cave, and stood there. . . God said, “Go back the way you came through the
desert to Damascus.
Matthew 10:27 What I tell you now
in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear,
shout from the housetops for all to hear!
Isaiah 30:21 Your ears will hear
sweet words behind you (sounds like a whisper to me): “Go this way. There is
your path; this is how you should go” whenever you must decide whether to turn
to the right or the left.
Often, God takes His God-sized neon marker and highlights a
passage, a sentence, or sometimes just a phrase from His Word. Parts I have
read over and over in the past suddenly jump off the page, and almost shout at
me.
Like David, I find Scripture is a lamp
to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105) Like a flashlight in the
night, that Light often shows me things I would have stumbled over in the
darkness on my own.
God’s Word is alive and active and
cuts to the chase. (Hebrews 4:12) I may flounder around in ambivalence, but a
search inside The Book soon clarifies things.
After all, “All Scripture is
inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error,
correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
Thankfully, even when my Bible isn’t
handy, the Holy Spirit helps me to remember what Jesus has told me. (John 14:26)
And sometimes, God simply speaks to me through peace. I have
to let go of what I want, of what I “know”, and simply trust.
When I have correctly discerned how
God wants me to act or react, I have a peace that passes all understanding, a
peace that guards my heart and mind. (Philippians 4:7)
Agent Gibbs (on NCIS) says his “gut”
tells him things. I know what he means. When I am unsure of something, my
stomach does this roiling, tightening, near-nausea thing—quite unpleasant. It’s
often a red flag for me, urging me to use caution, to seek God before acting or
speaking. Colossians 3:15 advises us to let the peace that Christ gives guide us
in the decisions we make.
I often hear this verse singing in my head, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
I often hear this verse singing in my head, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Any words of advice for my daughter? (I am not sure I have
my comments problem fixed. If not, please share your thoughts either on my
Facebook page or through Google +.)
Be
encouraged!
©2016 Pamela D. Williams
