Speak Up!

The only time I’ve ever heard God raise his voice was when I asked him to.

It must’ve been ten years ago, and I can’t exactly remember what I was doing, but I do remember how frustrated I was in the midst of it and earnestly praying for God’s direction. However, when the right path appeared right in front of me, I missed it. I was so frustrated! So without thinking, I haphazardly threw what I could remember of this scripture back at Him.

“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:11-12

“I don’t need your whisper! I need your shout, Lord! I clearly don’t know your voice, so you need to turn up the volume!”

Then as our Lord always does, He responded and began to talk to me. That’s how this blog was born. The “Red Letter Moments” are times when I ask God to speak to me…and He does. The key is that I need to listen and be attuned to His voice.

What made me think of this moment during the week was something someone said in my small group. They said,

“If you can’t see God or if you can’t hear God, it’s you that moved. Our God does not drift from us.”

It made me realize that my God really does not raise His voice. He is so even and steady in His tone with me. As a parent, I can list so many voices in which I have spoken to Cora. I’ve been anxious, teaching, listening, excited, frustrated, distracted, and compassionate. But my God in contrast has such an even consistent tone. Always available, eager to talk, willing to give counsel, a voice of conviction, not condemnation. 

How do you hear God? Does He speak to you audibly, through His word, or others? I would love to hear about another way to hear Him come through. Please leave a comment below and let me know! 

In His service and at yours!

~Shawn