Thinking back to my time in Bulgaria one thing really stands out to me. God is who He says He is. He isn’t a distant God who is pleased by our works or deeds. He is someone to talk to. He is a Friend who speaks if we simply give Him one thing to work with. Space.
One day our team decided to do a prayer walk through a nearby gypsy village. It started off interesting with an older gentleman dancing provocatively to the girls in our group. We continued and simply prayed around the neighborhood and returned home.
The next morning I spent some time in prayer. But this morning I did things differently. I listened. And God spoke. He gave me a vision of an alley that we had passed the day before and I knew I had to go back.
As me and a couple of teammates walked back to this place I felt nervous. What if nothing happens? What if this is just something I imagined? It was a little too late to turn back so we kept moving.
As we walked up to the alley there was a lady in the front yard of a house right next to the alley saying something to us in Bulgarian. I assumed that she didn’t want us walking in her neighborhood and began to slowly walk away. Then someone on the team realized she was actually inviting us in and we entered the gate into her yard. She instantly offered us grapes that she was growing in her front yard and I knew this lady, Elenka, was the reason for the vision I had earlier.
We returned to Elenka’s house a few days later, this time with a translator, Debbie, she began to tell us about the struggles she was going through. Her husband had died and she had next to no money but it was still close to impossible to catch her without a smile on her face. The reason? Family. Something that me and the team are now a part of.
Elenka introduced us to her friend, Marika, the next time we met. As we talked about church they seemed very excited to go with their new family. I am so thankful God led me to find my new Grandmas. God had a purpose for bringing us together and I can’t wait to see that purpose lived out.
Events like this would be more common for me if I simply gave God space to speak to me. A few minutes or even seconds spent listening to Him can reveal what we spend all day trying to figure out.
Most of my life I have made hearing from God too difficult. I’ve tried my best to try and attain a level of spirituality so I would someday be able to have this experience that I see other powerful Christians have. Sadly, I rarely experienced what I was seeking.
Recently, I have made it far more simple. I started asking God questions and listening to what He has to say. By giving Him a small part of my day to speak to me I have genuinely experienced what it means to have a personal relationship with our Creator. This has been the most exciting time of my life!
If you have been looking for a more personal God give Hime time to speak. Ask Him questions and don’t feel like you need to be the one talking the whole time. Give God more of your time and get ready to hear from Him like you never have before!
