Given February 4, 2006
I’ve heard the question several times lately from a pulpit, “Do you hear from God?”, “Does God speak to you?” Of course, I can’t hear what people’s answers are but it’s obvious from this blog that sometimes God speaks to me.
I sense that people who think, (and I mean they think), they haven’t heard from God either can’t tell when He speaks or are not listening. As I’ve mentioned, God usually speaks….now wait a minute, let me explain. I’ve never heard the actual voice of God. When I say He speaks, I mean I get an unmistakable impression or vision or thought inside me that is related to what I’m doing or thinking. And, it usually happens when I’m praying, listening to teaching tapes, or music, all of which I do while driving which is where I got the title of this blog.
OK, back to what I was saying; God usually speaks to me during times when I’m alone with Him, when it’s quiet and I have no distractions around me. I can’t recall that God has tried to holler at me at a ball game or tried to get my attention while I was watching TV or something. He doesn’t do it that way. “And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still, small voice.” 1 Kings 19:12
I think God is speaking to us all the time but most of the time we can’t hear Him because the “noise” of our lives is all around us. We have to be quiet, in a quiet place to hear from God. Otherwise, we miss that, “still, small voice”.
Try it. Get in a quiet place, sit down or kneel down and ask God to speak to you. Say something like, “Here I am Father, I love you. What do you want to tell me?” Then, be quiet and listen! It will be uncomfortable trying to be quiet. Don’t ask again, just be quiet and listen for as long as it takes. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Now, you may be convicted to repent and ask forgiveness but, if so, that’s what God is telling you to do first. He’s speaking…are we listening?