Do
you ever wonder how to “hear” God. I
used to get so frustrated when people would say, “Kelly, just ask God” or “What does God say” or “God spoke to me to
today.” WHAT??? What do you mean, God spoke to you? Are you crazy?
As
God raises me up as His child, and my spiritual maturity grows, firmly rooted
in my identity in Christ, I have begun to tune my ear to hear His word, His
voice.
Sometimes
it is a whisper, ever so gentle. The
world might call it a conscious or even intuition. Often in my life God speaks by opening doors
with unexpected opportunities. He also
closes doors. After many years of
beating my head against those doors and wondering why God was not answering my
prayers. I began to hear him encouraging
me to turn around, to walk through the open doors, “Kelly, look over there, I
have something even better for you, trust me.”
Yesterday,
God spoke to me by using two of his children.
I was standing in the kitchen at my mothers house, starring at this huge
backpack in the middle of the floor, wondering what the heck was I thinking
signing up for this crazy race around the world. I stood there almost in tears, asking God,
“Are you sure, am I really supposed to go, can I do this, am I strong enough,
will you be with me?” Moments later I
received a scripture via text message from a friend… Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and
courageous. Do not be discouraged for
the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
It
touched my heart, I knew there was something there for me, I knew God was
speaking to me. It was kinda like, “Ok
God, cool thanks, that’s all I needed, I am kinda busy right now though, so I
will catch ya later.” I was in a hurry
when I read it. The cab was waiting
outside. I told myself I would go back
and read it again on the plane… I didn’t.
I didn’t slow down. I didn’t
listen. God was there, inviting me to
spend some time with Him, I stood Him up.
Then,
God spoke again. After a joyful reunion
here in Mexico with my team. We headed
down a dirt road to a small church building.
As we filled into the small wooded pews, I knew God was there, and He
was about to speak. Then the pastor
began to read the Word of God… Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God
will be with you wherever you go.”
Our
God is am amazing God. He speaks to us
in many ways. I have learned, and am
continuing to learn, to fine tune my ear to hear his sweet sweet voice. This year as we race to fulfill the Great
Commission, God has been, and will be, pulling on my heart to SLOW DOWN, to not
run ahead of him, to wait for his lead, to listen to him, to seek him, to know
him, to surrender all to him. It is day
one of training camp as I write this and there are sixty of us here, all here
together, and in silence. This day is a
gift to us, a day of silence, a date with God!
