Listening to God

Listening Like a Sheep

But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 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. John 10:2-4 (NLT)

Last night during Called2Be’s (church plant) meeting, we talked about recognizing God’s voice. Fabulous discussion. We spent a lot of time on today’s text. This morning, as I was revisiting this conversation, I realized I didn’t have a thought process for what it looks like for sheep to come to the shepherd.

I don’t have sheep. I don’t actually know anyone who has sheep. But, I’ve had dogs. Specifically, I am thinking of Angel (a Doberman). She had this uncanny way of knowing when Nick was almost home. If Nick was out, before he even turned into the neighborhood, she would hear his car. Her radar was always up. She was always listening for that sound and when she heard it, she’d go stand by the door.

My son’s dog, Doctor, does the same thing. With one difference. When he hears my son’s car, he goes and looks out the window and starts bounding around the house, whimpering excitedly while running back and forth.

This is what I think it looks like to listen for God’s voice. No matter what we are doing, our ears should be tuned toward Him. And when we hear something that even remotely sounds like His voice, we should check it out. We should move toward it so we can hear better and spend some time focusing on what we are being told.

God speaks to us where we are. He also has a bazillion ways to communicate with us. That’s why we have to be especially attentive. If we are looking for him to speak to us in only one way, we may miss it.

So maybe today, while we are doing whatever we do, we can wait expectantly, trusting that He is there and He is going to speak. And when we hear Him, we should jump up and down and get excited because the God of the Universe just reached down to be in relationship with us.

Listen

For God does speak—now one way, now another—
    though no one perceives it.
In a dream, in a vision of the night,
    when deep sleep falls on people
    as they slumber in their beds,
he may speak in their ears
    and terrify them with warnings,
to turn them from wrongdoing
    and keep them from pride, Job 33:14-17 (NLT)

Eunice texted me and asked if I had heard from Kathy. It had actually been a while since any of us had heard from Kathy. Months probably. Kathy attended weekly Bible Study with us and was a new believer in Jesus. Her job had become very demanding and she couldn’t join any more. Then, the Bible Study group morphed into the Church Plant (Called2Be) and we lost track of her.

Eunice said that she’d been thinking about her and reached out but got no response. Funny thing was I was thinking about her too. God put Kathy on both of our hearts. So at Eunice’s prompting, I reached out as well. Kathy responded. She is now joining Called2Be’s weekly Bible Study. Do you think God was speaking to Eunice and me? I do.

God speaks to us in so many different ways. Sometimes, it is in an impression. Sometimes in a conviction. I’ve had Him speak to me in dreams. And I know other people have experienced Him in circumstances or visions. He definitely speaks to us through His Word and through each other. 

Question is, are we listening? Do we really believe that He speaks and are we intent on hearing what He has to say? And the follow up question to that is when we hear him, do we obey?

I get impressions that I know are God. A lot of times these are things I am being told to do that I don’t want to do.  That’s how I know it’s Him. I know that sounds odd but when I feel convicted to do something I don’t want to do, I know it’s not me. 

Other times I’ll get impressions that are just off-the-wall. For example, yesterday I had the impression that I was supposed to go to BJs (warehouse type store). I didn’t need anything from BJs. I had no reason to go but all morning the thought kept popping into my head. So I went. Nothing happened. I walked around the store a couple of times with my cart. Went to look for some things that I knew I wanted to buy to see if they had them (they didn’t). 

Was God in that impression? Should I have gone to BJs? I’m not an expert at hearing God’s voice but here is what I’ve learned. When I think it’s Him but I’m not sure, I follow what I am hearing. Here’s why. There have been times I didn’t follow and I realized later it was God trying to get me to do something. There were times I did listen and I could see his fingerprints all over the situation. (I love it when that happens.) Personally, I’d rather follow and not know on what’s going on rather than miss out on a God experience altogether. Notice I said “not know what’s going on?” That’s because I know from experience that just because I can’t see what He’s doing, it doesn’t mean He isn’t doing something. He is always doing something. I just can’t always see it.

What’s the take away? God is always speaking to his children through many, many methods. The way He speaks to me is going to be different than the way He speaks to you. One thing though that we all need to do is listen. Listen intently to hear what he’s saying. Carve out time to hear Him without a lot of distractions. And when you hear him, obey.

So today, if you come across a talking donkey on the side of the road, don’t pass by thinking “that’s crazy.” Stop and talk to the donkey. You never know how God is going to show up.

Whispers From Heaven

I will bless the Lord who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Psalm 16:7-8 (NLT)

Lately, I’ve been waking up with songs in my head. This has happened before but rarely. In the last few weeks, it’s been happening a lot. Let me explain.

I’ve been walking through some tough decisions the last couple of weeks. I go to bed, I pray about it and when I wake up in the morning there is a song going through my head. Sometimes, I know the song, who wrote it and I have it downloaded in my iTunes. Sometimes, I only get a few lines of it.

I get up and go research the song. One day, I didn’t know the song and I couldn’t figure out who wrote it. I kept googling the lines that were repeating in my head and I couldn’t find it. I started praying about it (because the lines kept repeating) and kept googling. I finally found it. And the message of the song was that even when things are overwhelming He will never let me go.

Another day, I knew the song. I had it on my iTunes but I’ve learned to go check it out anyway. Instead of playing it on my iPad, I went to find the YouTube video. And there, in the beginning of it was a testimony by the artist that I’d never heard. The testimony talked about not focusing on all the things that are happening but instead focusing on Jesus and letting him change you. It was just what I needed to hear.

God doesn’t speak to me every day like this. Some days he talks through his Word or through books I’m reading or friends.

I also realize that God doesn’t talk to all of us with songs first thing in the morning. He speaks to each of us differently. I have a friend who sees pictures when she’s praying. I know of other friends who God speaks to with his words from the Bible. He communicates with us as uniquely as he created each one of us.

That’s the incredible thing about God. He is not limited by well, anything. He can talk to us any way he wants and he does.

So the next time you hear a song as you wake up in the morning, or you see something that makes you go hmmmmm…..go check it out. It might be the God of the universe whispering your name.

Finding Peace

And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One. Philippians 4:7 (VOICE)

Have you ever felt this nagging that you were supposed to do something but for whatever reason didn’t do it? I have. You know, you hear something in your head. It can be exact instructions like “Call so and so” or a reminder to do something you forgot. It can also be the impression that you are supposed to take up a task or not take up a task.

I believe a lot of the time that is God prompting me. I wish I could say I always listened and acted on what I hear. Sometimes, I don’t.

There are two instances that stand out in my mind today. One was when we were going through a rough patch financially and I was thinking of getting a new job. God had been telling me to wait. Wait as in “Don’t do anything just wait.” I’m not good at waiting. That’s actually an understatement. I’m terrible at waiting. I had been waiting as instructed for what seemed like way too long. So, when a friend called and said I know of someone looking to hire, do you want me to connect you? I said, “No, I’m waiting like God said.” I wish. I said, “Sure!” After we met the man told me I had the job if I wanted it. And as I was agreeing to come in and meet the person I would be reporting to I got this huge knot in my stomach. A knot that was unmistakable. As I was shaking his hand I knew in my gut that I was not going to be able to take the job.

Would it have solved oh so many problems? Yes. Would I have been in God’s will? No. I reached out to the man, thanked him for his time but told him I wouldn’t be able to come on board. I had peace.

Another time, God was prompting me to do something and I was putting it off. It’s not that I don’t want to listen to God. I do! But what he was asking seemed so huge. I couldn’t get my mind around it and if truth be told, I didn’t want to do it. But the prompting continued and I had no peace. I knew I was not doing what I was supposed to be doing.

I began, one step at a time, to be obedient to the prompting. And guess what? The nagging feeling that something was not right was gone.

I realize that every nagging feeling or knot in your stomach may not be a God conversation. I believe that a lot of the time we know what we are doing or not doing is going against what we are being told. We rationalize it away. We are so good at that.

What if we responded to those nudgings when we felt them? What if we followed those promptings or listened to that voice just in case? Isn’t it sad that we miss out on peace because we charge forward with a quick and easy solution instead of trying to center into God’s will?

After following and not following for a while, I’ve learned to recognize whose voice is talking to me. I also know that the sooner I obey, the more peace I have. And it is truly beyond human understanding. My advice on this? Pray it through. Keep asking questions and follow those promptings. You will be forever grateful you did.

Did You Hear That?

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8 (NLT)

On a pretty regular basis I hear people say they don’t know what God’s will is for their life. Or they say that they aren’t sure what God wants them to do. Sometimes, this conversation comes with a little (maybe a lot) of angst. I get it.

Sometimes, I go down that path too. I get all spun up in questions like “Am I doing the right thing?” or “What if I’m hearing you wrong?” That last one is my favorite. As I feel God telling me to do something, I start down the path. “What if this isn’t you? Could this be me inventing things?” And I don’t make any movement at all because I am afraid of making the wrong movement. And we all know not doing something is a decision in itself.

As I ponder this, I begin to look at who God is. This is the God that got people’s attention through the most amazing circumstances. He talked to them in dreams, through angels, through animals, through storms, in burning bushes, through Scripture, through manna falling on the ground to name a few….

And then I remember texts like today’s verse. God takes the responsibility of talking. He initiates the conversation and tells us over and over again in the Bible that it is his job to get us where we need to be. He will tell us the way to go, he will direct our paths, he will say go this way or that.

Why is it I think I am going to miss the message? If God can talk to people in all these ways, he can certainly get my attention. And as I reflect on how I’ve heard God and known it was him in the past, I am sure he can do that again.

So what are we to do? The Bible says our job is to believe. To believe in Jesus, to believe that God will do what he says he will do (and there are a ton of promises about how he will work out his plan.) So listen for the voice. Don’t be afraid to follow it. Don’t dismiss it. God is talking to his kids…..every single day.

Do You Hear That?

One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.  Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!”
“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.
Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!”
Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
“I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”
Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before.  So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.
And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:2-10 (NLT)

This passage is probably familiar to many of us. We know it as when Samuel was called by God. But recently when I read it, something else popped out.

Samuel didn't recognize God's voice at first. Every time he heard it, he ran to Eli. He had to learn to recognize who was calling him. He had to figure out what God's voice sounded like.

I hear so many people say that God doesn't speak to them. And then others ask how you know it is God. First, I believe that God speaks to all of us but we often don't recognize His voice. And I believe that as you develop your relationship with God you will hear Him, learn when it is Him and when it is not and you will then recognize when He speaks. 

Of course, it is not always so cut and dry but like Samuel, God will keep speaking. He will be patient and keep talking so you will learn when it is Him. Your job is to listen.

Do You Hear That?

My child, listen to what I say,
    and treasure my commands.
Tune your ears to wisdom,
    and concentrate on understanding.
Cry out for insight,
    and ask for understanding.
Search for them as you would for silver;
    seek them like hidden treasures.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,
    and you will gain knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:1-5 (NLT)

We had the pleasure of having my father-in-law live with us for a while. And even though it was our pleasure, it was not without its challenges. One of those challenges was a few years down the road when he would get his time mixed up.  He would wake up in the middle of the night or early, early in the morning, get dressed and go downstairs expecting everyone to be up.

Now, I get up early so I can spend some uninterrupted time with God.  I need this to start my day on the right footing. And Baba needed to sleep. It was important for his health. The first time Baba showed up downstairs way too early, I was taken by surprise. But as this habit continued, I learned to listen for him.

I listened for every creek of the floor, every slipper drop or the door to his room opening. I did this as I went through my morning routine being acutely aware of what he was doing all the time.

Baba has since gone to be with Jesus but the other day it occurred to me that if I could get used to listening for Baba so closely, what was preventing me from listening for Jesus so closely?  Could it be that we hear what we get accustomed to hearing?  Take mothers for example, they can hear their child doing something from rooms away (or not hear them which is a sure indicator that something is amiss.)

Maybe when we say "I can't hear God" it is because we are not tuning our hearing to him. Could it be that we don't hear him because we aren't really listening for him and the other noises in our lives are getting it the way? What would happen if we were constantly listening for the Voice or the lack thereof? Wouldn't we get so used to hearing it that we knew the sound immediately? What a difference that would make in our world....

Right Where You Are Supposed To Be

Your road led through the sea,
    your pathway through the mighty waters—
    a pathway no one knew was there!
Psalm 77:19 (NLT)

Last night in the U.S. the Super Bowl was on. While I really like football, most of the times I don't find the game super exciting. But last night was different. It was a great game! There was something though that really impressed me.  It was the story of the Eagles' Quarterback, Nick Foles.

In his career he'd not always done so well as a quarterback. He was traded from regime to regime. At one point he was considering retirement because he was so discouraged. He decided it to give it one more try and ended up back with the Eagles (which is where he started in the first place). After an injury of the Eagles' starting quarterback, Foles was tapped. And the rest is history.

After the game, one of the first things he said was "To God be the glory." Amen.

We never know where our path will lead. Only God does. What we need to do is keep going. Don't give up. And watch as God unfolds his glory in our lives.