Listening

Isn’t it amazing how God speaks to us if we just take the time to listen? That’s what I’ve realized this weekend, so often it isn’t that God isn’t speaking to us it’s that we aren’t listening. I have heard His voice in so many “normal” situations this weekend that I just stand amazed tonight at my God.

He has spoken through a friend. A friend who allowed me to get away from my life for just a few hours in reality and be with her. Through our visit God really recharged me for my ministry. He gave me vision for things that I don’t think I would have seen if I hadn’t taken the time to be with this friend. I was amazed because I have called her my best friend for some time but this weekend I really realized why God has blessed me with her it’s because whenever I am with her I walk away knowing I have also been in the presence of God. She’s one of those friends that I can just be me with and she won’t judge me but love me and guide me in the right direction. And I am so thankful that God used her this weekend.

God also spoke through me through worship. If you know me, this isn’t as surprising, I love worship to me it is one of the most intimate times I have with God each week. There is something about the way music drives my mind and my soul that I just crave that time every week. But this week as we sang “I believe You’re more than enough for me.” I wrestled with that statement, I felt God saying, “If I don’t heal your dad, if I don’t bring you a husband will you still same I’m enough for you.” And I cried and I wrestled in my head knowing that I wanted to say yes but my heart was so unsure. And by the end of that song with hands raised I was able to really say, “Yes, God you and you alone will always be enough for me, I may forget it at times as life gets lonely but I know that You will always remind me that You are the only thing I could ever need.” It was a sweet surrender of the issues that plague my mind day in and day out.

Then he spoke through the words of a Christian author. I am leading a study on waiting for young adults and as I read over this week’s session God just really spoke to me in a very loud voice. There was a situation where I was considering taking matters into my own hands even though it went against what I believed. And as I read and the book talked about “short-circuiting” our waits by taking matters into our own hands I realized that God has a much better story than I could ever plan and I just have to wait.

He also spoke through a group of high school girls, in just the time I needed to hear it, reaffirming that I am doing the right thing. Their excitement for the gospel and for each other was just overwhelming tonight.

I believe that God didn’t wait to this weekend to speak all these things to me, rather it was just that I was ready and willing to hear them. I can’t tell you what got me to that place this weekend, because I don’t know that it was anything special other than I’ve been asking God to speak, to show me His plan. I don’t think there is a magical formula to hear God speak to you more. I just want to ask, are you listening? Because I know He is speaking to You tonight to, what is it that He wants to say? Give Him the chance and I’m sure He’ll use something ordinary to speak to you in an extraordinary way.