Wow! Two extra-looooong devotionals in a row, sorry about that! Hopefully this one will shed a little light on what may be a dimly lit corner in your quest to hear from God. If you are experiencing a “silent” period with the Lord or just long to hear His voice better, then grab some coffee or tea and read on : )

God Is Trying To Tell You Something

Although I have been a believer for over 40 years, my Father never ceases to amaze me! I am always experiencing a new facet of who He is! He knows everything about us and lovingly, faithfully reveals more of Himself in our journey together! This was reaffirmed to me recently when one of our church elders; Chuck King preached.

I slipped into my seat, grabbed my notebook and pen, read the title of Chuck’s sermon and laughed out loud…right there in front of God and everyone! It read; “God Is Trying To Tell You Something”. To better understand why this was so funny you need to know that for the past several months I have been eating, sleeping and pretty much breathing an attempt to get my Father’s clear direction concerning a particular decision that lies before me…all without much to show for it. So it was natural to laugh when I saw the title of His message. I can almost see Papa smiling and elbowing Jesus and saying “Watch this!” as I picked up the bulletin. And of course the irony was not lost on me that I was scheduled to write this particular devotional, at this exact time, months ago, which was a heartwarming  reminder of God’s sense of humor-and His perfect timing in my life. I smile when I think about how all these weeks this is exactly what I have been secretly hoping to see in big bold letters, preferably written in the sky to be sure I couldn’t possibly miss it; God Is Trying To Tell You Something!!!

Well the first thing Chuck shared about our journey to hear from God was the difference between hearing and listening. You know, we all hear pretty well-noise works its way through our auditory system and we hear…but listening is not quite so automatic and active listening is even rarer. I had to wonder if some of our listening for God’s voice was actually waiting to hear something instead of fully absorbing what we have heard Papa say. The truth is; listening takes effort and focus on our part, so while it’s far easier to “hear” we are going to miss much of what God is trying to convey if we don’t make the effort to focus and truly listen.

The next thing he mentioned was that God wants us to recognize His voice and he used John 10:4 to talk about that.  “…and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.”  I thought about this and asked myself; “How did the sheep recognize their shepherd’s voice?” I believe it was through practiced listening! They spent every waking moment listening for the voice of their shepherd. Sheep are not considered terribly intelligent beasts, they are also portrayed as easily frightened and skittish, so it was ingrained within them to know where their shepherd was at all times for he was their only hope of nourishment, companionship and safety. They did this through practiced listening and just living life together.

They may not be the “sharpest crayons” in the box, but they are smart enough to understand their absolute dependence on recognizing their shepherd’s call. You see at night, for safety’s sake, various shepherds would gather their respective flocks and put them in a pen of sorts, together. Well as you can imagine the flocks got mingled through the night, so when the sunrise emerged every sheep had to be listening for and perceiving their shepherd’s voice as he called out their name, so they wouldn’t be left behind.

And I wondered in my heart if we were being diligent to distinguish through practiced listening our Shepherd’s voice. Do we see our absolute dependence on our Shepherd for nourishment, companionship and even our very lives? Or are we instead waiting for Him to come into the pen where we find ourselves, pick us up and carry us to the place He’s calling us to go? But God gave us legs so that we could travel to wherever He’s sending us. Recognizing His voice and following it will go a long way in getting us to the place of promise that He created us to enjoy.

Well if it is safe to assume that our Father is always speaking and if we are coming to distinguish our Shepherd’s sweet voice, then what else can we do to grasp His vital messages to us? One of the best ways is by positioning ourselves to a place that is conducive for receiving. So what does that practically look like?

First; BE PREPARED. No, not prepared like the Boy Scout’s motto, but rather be prepared to listen! There are numerous ways to do that which will vary according to each individual and every unique situation, but here are a few ideas to get you started.

BE AVAILABLE. God may be trying to tell you something but if we are unwilling to make the time to listen, then we are most likely going to miss it. We need to be willing to carve out time from our busy schedules to make listening a priority. We need to choose to set up regular times to listen instead of merely hoping to hear something. In other words we need to be intentional about it.

BE STILL. Often He speaks in a still small voice, but that’s difficult to hear when there is a myriad of anxieties churning around on the inside. Give your worries to Him for He is more than able to “hold” your concerns while you get still and quiet before Him. Sometimes we go astray in this by continuing to ask the same question over and over. Ever been there? I have. The picture Papa game me for this was when my girls were young and I was trying to convey something important to them and they kept interrupting me to ask the same unrelated question over and over. Papa asked me what I did when that happened and I said “I guess I got quiet because it was clear that they were so focused on that one question that they had ceased listening” and He said “Right, that’s what I do too” and the dim bulb finally went on! Lol If you have a burning question on your heart and the Lord seems quiet, then you might want to consider if you’ve been interrupting the discourse to the point that He’s elected to be “silent”. Choosing to quiet my questions for a time period has gone a long way in reducing the number and length of “silent” periods with my Father. No one likes to be interrupted, not even God.

BE READY. When I am actively listening I try to keep my pen and my notebook or journal in hand. Sometimes this small step really helps me focus, listen and then remember later what He’s said. I have found that when Papa speaks to me it usually has layers to it, some I get initially and others that get peeled back as I meditate on what He’s shared. So if I have written down His guidance I can come back later and ponder further and usually when I do that I can glean more, which is always my desire.

BE OPEN. Don’t put God in a box. In my forty plus years as a believer I have certainly learned that God rarely, if ever, does things in the way that I had imagined He would. His message could come at any moment and from any direction. He might speak a word to the deep recesses of your inner being or it could come through His manual for living (aka the Bible) or perhaps through the godly counsel of trusted others. I’ve also experienced Him using nature or my own personal circumstances to speak to me. Sometimes it’s a “fresh” word, other times He reminds me of promises spoken long ago and my heart is grateful for both.

BE PATIENT. Be willing to wait on Him. This is not my strong suit and I find myself getting antsy when His word is not coinciding with my perceived order of events. But the truth is; His divine word is well worth waiting on! God alone fully knows the past, present and eternal future, so trusting Him to share when the time has fully come will bring the very best results. I realize that this can be difficult when others are seeking your input NOW, but don’t give into people pleasing or settle for the word of mere man when God’s voice is what is truly needed. Be daring enough to trust that when all things have fallen into place, He will speak.

BE CONTENT. Although there may be a sense of urgency to hear God’s voice right now concerning future events, learn to be content where He has you today! Foster joy in the blessings and the promises He’s set before you today and rejoice that they are just the tip of the iceberg of the unimaginable good that He has planned for your life! Don’t miss today’s blessings for they are rich and sweet and they were meant to be enjoyed now, besides, often you cannot recapture them later.

BE SENSITIVE TO HINDRANCES. God may be speaking, but sometimes distractions can hinder us from hearing His voice. Common hindrances include; doubt, busyness, distraction, fear, disobedience or delayed obedience. An expansion of these will have to come in a different devotional, but do be careful to remove any hindrances that could be blocking the Lord’s voice. Not sure? Ask Him, He will be faithful to reveal them to you.

BE QUICK TO OBEY. If He tells you something that requires action, then be prompt to obey. I have found that immediate obedience brings an earlier revelation of the next step He’s calling us to. Sometimes we get stuck in our growth with God because we have not obeyed a word He spoke in the past. If God seems silent, go back and see if there is a word that required action on your part that you have not fully obeyed. Often He’s waiting on a particular obedience before He shares the next step for our voyage. Perhaps we are delaying action until we can see the entire journey that He has planned, but it doesn’t work that way; a loving relationship requires trust and our bond with God is no different.

Finally, after you have walked these ideas out, then BE ALERT AND EXPECTANT! God may speak at any time, from any place or in any way. Be actively watching and listening for it, scrutinizing the topography of our lives for any clues to the waiting treasures of His melodious voice! And let your heart cry be that of Samuel; “Speak Lord for Thy servant is listening.”

Well clearly I’m no expert on this, but I have learned at least one thing in my long-standing quest and that is; don’t let your focus be on hearing God’s voice, let it be on drawing close in worship…for no answer compares with sitting on our Papa’s lap, lovingly entwined in His embrace! Make your ultimate goal one of humble worship and heartfelt adoration and eventually the answer you seek will come-in His time, though know that its importance will fade in comparison to the divine romance that we two share!