Discerning the Voice of God

Many thanks to all the people who have taken a look at my little blog. I have been amazed to see, that what started as a way to deal with the grief of losing a loved one, has grown so quickly! There have been almost 500 views with viewers spanning 6 continents. I am humbled that so many people are interested in my ramblings. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope that you have been able to find a little peace and inspiration in what you find here.

Recently I have had the opportunity to reconnect with a group of women with whom I used to attend church. This group of women was precious to me and we spent many hours studying together, going on retreat together, supporting one another through life's difficult times, and celebrating each others successes. What a blessing for me to be able to reconnect with such a wonderful group. You know that the people are special when you can walk into a room after 15 years and it's as if you were never apart!

We are meeting together weekly to study Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God Speaks. This is certainly a study that is relevant to me. As I enter into this next season of my life, I am anxious to know what God has planned for me. I am trying to learn to be still (no easy feat) and listen for what God has to say to me.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that God still speaks to us today. We can read the Bible and find stories about God speaking to the people of old. He spoke to Moses from a burning bush but I am afraid that I have never experienced anything quite so dramatic. Most of the time my conversations with God tend to be one sided. It seems that I spend a lot of time talking but never much time listening. When I stop to think about it, I realize that I never expected God to speak to me. I figured communication with God included me talking and him listening.

Priscilla Shirer tells a story that epitomizes this model of communication. She tells about asking her husband which pair of shoes he thought looked best with an outfit. She states that she had already made up her mind, but asked her husband anyway. Her husband was hesitant to give a response and answered, "Why are you asking me? You're going to do what you want to do anyway!"

I wonder if this is what we do when we try to talk to God. We ask for his guidance, but really we have already made up our mind. We're planning to move forward with our own plan without stopping to hear what he may have to say. We are willing to follow God as long as it's comfortable and lines up with what we think is best.

I'm guilty. How about you? This week I am planning to work on not only talking to God, but actually listening for what he has to say to me. Hababkkuk 2:1 says, "I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me." I love that. "I will station myself on the rampart and I will keep watch..." Hababkkuk expected God to speak. He stood watch and waited to hear God's voice. He didn't rush off to implement his own plan. He expected God to speak and waited until he did so. That is what I am going to try this week. To stand watch and see what God will speak to me.

I hope you will join me this week and listen for God's voice. Be patient; expect him to speak.

If you would like, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. I always enjoy hearing from you and learning what God is doing in your life.