I exhaled. As the air passed from my lungs, I felt my shoulders slump and my butt slide toward the edge of the chair. I leaned my head against the back of my seat and stared forward through bleary eyes. I had stayed up too late the night before. I had to; nobody sleeps when they’re on vacation. We all do so much and try to have so much fun that we probably go home with more hypertension and less rest than if we had just stayed home and worked.
Compared to my lethargy, the man on stage was excessively animated. At least, that’s how it felt, but then again, I was half-asleep and lots of movement and fatigue don’t typically go hand-in-hand. To stay awake, I opened my eyes as wide as I could. The dryness of my eyelids felt made them feel as though they were about to snap like a couple of old rubber bands, pulled beyond the limit of their elasticity.
I sat up and tried to listen. He was talking about prayer and how it was a necessity to living a healthy Christian life.Β I gawked at the stage seeing more than I was perceiving when a sharp movement jolted me awake. The preacher had been interrupted in the middle of a long sentence about needing to hear from God. It seemed as though someone had done something that caught his attention, because though he had come to lively halt, he turned slowly and stared out over the crowd.
“God just told me something.”
This seemed theatrical enough in both timing and exertion of energy that I questioned the truth of the statement. The man explained what the Holy Spirit had said to him, which for the point of this story, isn’t necessary to relate. I was dumbfounded. How could God talk when this man was going on and on? Isn’t it like talking to your friends? Don’t you need to shut up so they can speak?
Every now and again, someone will tell me that God told them something dramatic like, “God told me I’m going to marry so-and-so.” Or “The other day when I was watching {Insert famous preacher} on TV, God said that I’m going to preach to millions of people and I’m going to very famous and excessively rich.” When this happens, I typically don’t know how to respond. I don’t ever want to tell someone they didn’t hear from God. Who am I to judge what God does and doesn’t say to someone? I also don’t want to kill anyone’s faith in their ability to hear God. I can’t think of a robbery worse than that.
God communicates to me in weird ways. It isn’t always clear when He speaks. Sometimes He talks using music. If He’s really feeling crazy, He even uses {dirty} secular songs (OK, I say dirty sarcastically because obviously, ALL secular music comes from hell). Other times, it’s when I read (any kind of book) and sometimes, when I talk to people. I genuinely think God tosses me ideas. These change the trajectory of my thinking and words in such a way that they leave me sounding smarter than I really am- it’s super awesome. Other times, He keeps me up late at night and talks, even though I want to sleep.
I think to allow God to speak, you have to not only listen, but be honest about hearing Him. Nobody will think better of you if in the middle of a conversation, you jerk your head to the side, pop your left eye wide open, squint the other one and tell them it’s your God face. They’ll think you’re a drug addict or an idiot, especially if they aren’t a Christian. It’s probably easiest and best if you just talk to Him in a regular, conversational way. Oh yeah, just make sure you speak to Him more reverently than you do you friends, too.
Wow, I entirely agree and love it!
Thanks, Tara!
Hi Jake! I know what you mean. Sometimes I’ll even read a blog post that just happens to be about something God and I have been talking about, and I just KNOW He wanted me to see it! π
My favorite is when a child in CCD (Catholic for Sunday School) asks a question that I have a hard time answering, and I whisper in my heart “God, help!” and suddenly what I must say is very clear. I will often then share the experience afterwards with the Deacon or the director, whose feedback is usually “ExACTly!”.
He hasn’t yet told me what I’m supposed to do with my life, much less suggested I’d become a preaching millionaire, but then I’m only 41! π What He has told me is to prepare by uncluttering my house, mind, and heart! Anywho, I really like this post, Jake! π
Helen, I enjoyed our tweet conversation today. I think that God doesn’t always tell us what to do. Not because He doesn’t have an opinion or doesn’t care, but because there are a TON of options, you know? And nothing beats that instant of revelation when you’re under pressure from a six year-old who wants to know something about God. Those questions beat all the rest!
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dustin La Mont and Jake Lee, Candy Steele. Candy Steele said: RT @muchl8r: God Speaks, on vML http://bit.ly/ezHPTB | Awesome post, Jake! […]
I’ve been a Christian since early childhood. Did all the right Christian things while I was growing up…camps, missionary service, Bible college.
Always thought that nonsense about God talking to someone in a still, small voice was a lot of hooey. Why would he bother talking to me? He certainly didn’t answer any of my prayers…which only bounced off the ceiling back to me anyway.
And then, finally, last year, I had a frank and open conversation with God. No particular dramatics going on at the time…just me, finally being in a place where every other distraction had been removed from my life.
Until that moment, I never knew just how resoundingly effective that still, small voice can be.
Peace,
~Beth
Oh Beth! I love that you finally had an encounter with the still, small voice. I love that voice, even though I tend to drown it out with everyday living. I hope we all get to hear God a little more– heck, a LOT more because He changes everything when He speaks, even if the change seems to be minor, something still happens IN US… which I love.
I can’t say I’ve ever heard the voice of God, but I can say I’ve had direct and clear complete change of direction in heart and mind. Some things God reveals slowly with the experience of time to me, there have been times It’s a complete bone chilling revelation. It’s pretty cool and scary. Of course there are the other times that the voice of God sounds eerily like my wife…
Floyd, I hear that wives are really good at relaying messages directly from God. I have yet to find out for myself π I love the prophetic, revelatory moments where God crashes in and shows us who’s boss. I live for moments like them because He’s powerful and still gracious. I wish we had more of them… but in the meantime, I doubt that pretending makes it any easier for a kairos moment like that, you know?
Yes indeed I do Sir…
I definitely agree with you. I tend to question when people make such a dramatic display of “hearing” God, or get words that are so specific or that will make them famous and rich. Seems more like their own personal desires than God actually speaking.
I tend to hear God in abstract ways. When it’s just me and Him, I do hear more specifics, but most times it’s through conversations, sermons, books, music, ideas, even blog posts. And, of course, reading the Bible. As a good Christian, I can’t leave that out. lol
Jason, I don’t think I even mentioned the Bible in my post. I’m a spiritual being, aren’t I? The great thing about God speaking is that He can speak outside of the religiously “prescribed” means we all expect, BUT he’ll never contradict His Word, which helps us filter through SO MUCH GARBAGE that we all have in our heads at any given time. As for the theatricals? Ugh. I hate the dramatically driven speeches and even those that are 100 percent God-inspired still have a man as an avenue, so I anticipate error. That’s me being cynical, what can I say?
haha – I was being sarcastic with mentioning the bible. I think it’s pretty much a given that we can hear God at some level or other through His Word.
And I’m somewhat cynical like you. Even if God did speak to someone in such a dramatic way, I always wonder if it was really Him or just that it’s being filtered through a human being who is prone to errors. But I guess that will keep us from following fakes.
“But I guess that will keep us from following fakes.”
If only…. π
“(OK, I say dirty sarcastically because obviously, ALL secular music comes from hell)”
=). That is all.
Josh, it depresses me.
Your story reminds me of something that happened to me while I was ministering in Springfield, MO. I actually had my family with me (which is sadly rare), but God woke me up really early, like 5 AM. I got up, got dressed, and drove to Starbucks to get some coffee. The music (the Police) was so stinking loud I could barely even order. I decided I would go to the outside tables and thought, “No way I can hear God in here.” Immediately God spoke to my spirit and said “I cut through a lot more than this every day.” It floored me. He really can speak any way and through all the noise of life. He’s God.
Great post, Jake. Thanks.
Jason! That’s a great statement. God has to cut through so much crap to get to us. I think that people… even 50 years ago had it TONS easier than we do because the distractions were less dramatic and much less prevalent.
Many of us have been taught that God speaks to us. We’ve even been taught that the devil will try to get in our head too…but many times I think we forget that our own thoughts like to interfere too. Oh so God told you that you’re going to marry so and so…and now he’s engaged to someone else…hummmmm….are you sure it was God that told you that and not yourself just having a really big crush on the guy?
I agree with you. It’s never our place to tell someone that they didn’t hear from God but sometimes it’s hard. I think that we could all use a little help learning the difference between all the voices in our lives. What I love is God talks to all of us differently. Sometimes he uses dreams to talk to me…not all dreams but sometimes. People just need to learn God’s voice and if they’re not sure it’s him…probably pray, fast, and wait for him to repeat himself.
Great post Jake.
Sarah, you’re entirely right. I think that the list of five things we learned in church recently helps us to distinguish God’s thoughts in the midst of out own…
I once awoke in the middle of the night from a dead sleep and knew I was supposed to pray specifically for someone’s protection. The following day, that person confirmed that I was right to do so. That’s not the only time that’s happened. God often wakes me at night to pray. Probably the only time my mind isn’t thinking of 100 different things. Hmmm….maybe He’s talking to me right now.
I completely understand, Kathy. I know that God is going to get out attention whenever He can, so the whole waking us up thing…. golden.
Yes, I know what you mean when someone says God spoke to them and you’re not sure He did… but you can’t really say He didn’t speak, because maybe He did. Very awkward.
The whole, still small voice thing is a difficult piece to dance around. All I can do is compare words to God’s character and His Word. He will never contradict either of those!
I think we make hearing from God this super mystical thing. Mostly because we don’t have a whole lot of confidence in ourselves. I struggled with this for a long time but I think one scripture gives us a lot of help:
“Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” 2 Cor 13:1
If I feel like God is saying something to me or speaks to someone and they share it with me, I wait for confirmation. I believe anything He says, He will confirm. If it doesn’t confirm something God has already said to me, I “shelf it”.
If you tell me that God told you that I am going to be your husband, I’m pretty sure He’s going to tell me about it too.
It’s a good litmus test.
Tony,
“If you tell me that God told you that I am going to be your husband, Iβm pretty sure Heβs going to tell me about it too.” YES!! People forget that part of the mix, it’s ridiculous.
Also, I’d agree with you 100% that we don’t have confidence in our ability to hear God. It’s one of the reasons I never want to say, “God never said that.” to anyone. I can’t think of anything worse than implanting doubt into somebody’s heart that they have a true communicative connection with their maker– it’s so important for us to hear Him and believe what He says….
I was just thinking about this today…how I can usually tell it’s God, not because it’s a loud booming voice in my head, but because when He does speak, it’s so perfect and timely, wise and unexpected.
Congrats on being featured at THC!
Thanks, Dena! God’s word is always timely and frankly, it’s probably one of the reasons why it’s so amazing! I mean, I talk all the time, so frankly, that makes me into background noise, makes me not necessarily credibly, but any kind of flippant yammering has the potential to kill the quality of the voice or to ruin the messages of the speaker!