I can’t begin to put into words what God has done in my life over the last 7 months. The only thing I can say is I have become more like Jesus. I believe this process has allowed me to become a better disciple and I am excited to use the knowledge I have gained to continue to disciple others.
Over the course of the Race I have received the feedback, “You need to just go spend time with God, leave your Bible and just talk with him.” I have sat and prayed sometimes for hours other times for 10 minutes. I have tried hard to listen to the voice of the Lord, yet sometimes I just can’t hear Him.
In my life, I know there has been times I have heard the voice of the Lord well. However, other times I have felt I can’t hear him at all. Unfortunately for many of us who grow up in the church, the voice of the Lord is not often talked about.
I remember asking the question at Bible Camp when I was in Junior High. “How does God speak to you?” I would ask many people over and over again because I never got a clear answer. Most of the time the answer I got was, “He speaks through His word, through people, and His voice.” However, that really didn’t answer my deeper question of “How can I hear the voice of the Lord?”
I have heard God speak clearly through His word many times. I have even heard Him through people whether that was the pastor on Sunday morning or my mom speaking to me about my future in high school. I recognized that and just assumed that it was the voice of the Lord. As long as I read my Bible and listened to those around me who know Jesus, I was listening to the voice of the Lord.
When I got to college I met someone who was like a mother to me. Her name was Kai. Sometimes I would come up to Kai’s desk at the University and just talk with her. She had so many amazing stories of God’s provision and goodness and I was always interested in hearing what she had to say. One day, she said something that has stuck with me longer than I ever would have thought. She said, “The Lord is always speaking, but are we willing to listen to Him.” She continued and used an analogy of earbuds. If we want to listen to the Lord all we have to do is put the earbuds in, yet often times because of the distractions around us we never actually put them in and therefore never actually hear the Lord clearly.
This last month in Egypt God had changed my world. He has spoked to me more this month than ever before in my entire life! Why? What happened?
The answer is simple. I created space for Him to speak.
As a team we have been taking hour shifts in the prayer room in order to invest in this ministry as well as what God has for our lives. Before this month I would tell you an hour of prayer is too long, yet now I feel as if I can never have enough time to get all the Lord is saying to me.
One day, when I was in the prayer room, God showed me this picture of me asking a question to my dad. Right after I asked the question I decided that it was not worth listening to the answer. In our busy day to day life we can be so preoccupied that we miss the answer of the question(s) we ask. I found myself time and time again asking the same question to my dad because I didn’t listen to the answer the first time. In the same way, if I ask God a question but never listen to the answer, do you think He would want to speak it? I know I wouldn’t want to say anything if I knew someone wasn’t really listening to me. And a second thought, how much more important are God’s word’s than my own? If He said something to me, wouldn’t I want to remember it forever?
Creating the space I needed to hear the Lord speak to me has changed my world! It has helped me slow down and grasp all the God is doing and teaching me in my life. It has given me a purpose, a dream, a hope, a direction, a pursuit, and a renewed excitement for the future.
So the question is how? How do you create the space especially in a life that I so busy?
Prioritize it and do not compromise. How badly do you want to hear the Lord speak to you? Are you willing to sit, wait, and quiet your spirit to listen? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to create the space for Him to speak? Are you willing to pursue it day after day?
What does that even look like?
For me it looks like creating a space with no interruptions. It can be a room that is empty or out in the middle of nature with no one around. I often start my time singing a song of praise to Him and remembering who He is. When I am done, I often sit down and ask the question, “Lord, what do you want to talk about today?” I begin to write my conversation down. As I speak I write what I say and as I listen, I write what He says. It trains my heart to listen to His voice, plus I don’t want to miss anything He has for me.
Some of the verses that God has brought to mind in hearing Him speak are:
2 Corinthians 3:17
For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord- who is the Spirit- makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into his glorious image.
John 10:3-5,14,16
“The gatekeeper opens the gate for Him, and the sheep recognize His voice and come to Him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After He has gathered his own flock, He walks ahead of them, and they follow Him because they know His voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice. I am the good shepherd; I know My own sheep, and they know Me… They will listen to My voice, and there will be one flock with one Shepard.
1 Kings 19:11-13
“‘Go out and stand before me on the mountain,’ the Lord said. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were town loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at he entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
I believe God wants to speak with us. He wants to show us new things. As believers in Jesus, He has given us a Spirit who is alive and active in us. Therefore, I have this challenge to activate His voice in your life:
Challenge: Create Space.
Try to spend time sitting with the Lord. Write down the questions you want to ask Him. See what He speaks to you.
Remember prayer is a two way communication with God. As a body of believers it is time to stop talking at God and time to start creating space to hear Him.
Questions to ask God to get you started:
“Lord, what do you want to talk about today?”
“Lord, what do you want to teach me today?”
‘Lord, what word or words do you have for me in this season of my life?”
“Lord, how can I encourage Andrew (Someone Else) today?”
“Lord, I am here to listen to you, is there anything you want to tell me?”
Free free to ask others who you know and trust to affirm that the Lord was speaking to you. It is a great start to knowing God and deepening your relationship with Him.
Please feel free to message me with any questions or stories from this blog or challenge.
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