A few years ago, our family’s life got turned upside down….by none other than God himself. Did you know that God still speaks?
My husband and I started feeling the tug*** of God wanting us to draw closer to him, to spend more time with him, to help others figure out how to come close to him. He asked*** us do to a few things.
***God speaks to us? Why yes, he does. What does it sound like? Well…there are so many different ways and its different for different people and can be different at different seasons of our lives. For some, its a still small voice on a hike in the middle of an evergreen forest, for some its directly through God’s Word, the bible, for others it could be in times of prayer. God has spoken to me in the following ways:
In high school I was asking God if I should take a certain ministry trip that I really wanted to go on, but didn’t really have the extra money to do it. I prayed…”if you want me to go, please provide the money.” I picked up a few extra shifts & tips at the coffee shop I was working at and my next paycheck was literally the EXACT same dollar amount, down to the cents, that I needed for my plane ticket. Um…that was a yes.
On this trip to Denver, I sang a song in a church service and a women with cancer came to me in tears after the service. She told me that this song had been helping her cope with her struggle with cancer. She had asked the Lord to please show her that He was with her by having someone sing this exact song at the service. Yep. Isn’t that cool?
When God started turning our life upside down (or right side up, that is), God spoke to me through a book called Interrupted, by Jen Hatmaker. This is book was exactly what I needed to push me over the edge…the crazy edge of obedience. Its all about how Jesus wants us to trust him enough to give him the reigns of our lives and let him “interrupt” our little pretty American Dream.
Lately God has been speaking to my through his word, songs and in the car….a lot. Last year, I was challenged by our amazing pastor at Life Church 7 to spend more time alone in prayer. At that time, I decided to only listen to worship music in my car and spend the time driving alone to pray. I pray on the way to the grocery store, to pick up my kids and to the post office. When I leave my driveway, you can bet I’m talking to God. And guess what, he has been talking back. A lot. I whole lot. I’ve asked him tons of questions, I’ve asked him to help me. I’ve told him how cool he is. I’ve sung him songs. I’ve sung him some pretty weird songs…like….
” i’m making up a song for you, I know you don’t care if it rhymes…cuz you’re God and you love me”
I’m pretty positive that He loves it. Yep, he does.
There are so many ways that God can speak to us….and guess what? He ALWAYS wants to talk to us, but sometimes we just aren’t listening! Or sometimes, we have ignored him for so long….we can’t even recognize his voice anymore. I know that has happened to me a few times in my lifetime.
So, the next question is, how do we get back to the place where we can recognize his voice again? Here are a few suggestions I have for you…
- Quiet yourself, your mind and heart.
- Open a bible and start reading….The book of John is a great place to start.
- Turn on some worship music (Bethel music is some of my favorite)
- Write down your thoughts and prayers in a prayer journal
- This one is tricky….but try to remember the last thing you remember God saying to you….then obey. Sometimes we choose not to obey, we run from God and doing what he had asked us to do will help to reconnect communication….on our end!
- Ask God who you need to forgive…and then forgive that person. (that is a whoooooole other post!)
These are just a few suggestions. What are ways that you hear God speak to you? I would love to hear about them!