I've heard several people in my church say recently, "If you want to make God laugh just tell him your plans." I'm pretty sure I've been making God fall on the floor in laughter for over 30 years. If God sent me an email, it would probably read LOL! LOL! LOL! ROFL!
Throughout my life, I've always had a voice in my head that gives really good advice. Many times in my life, I have ignored that smart little voice. Why? Because, as a human being, I think I know better than the voice, or I think it would feel better, or be more fun to NOT listen to the voice. But I can tell you that the times that I have listened to the voice and gone
with, what I used to call "my instincts" or "my intuition," positive things have happened for me. Conversely, when I have gone against that advice in my mind, things tend to fall apart pretty quickly.
I'm part of an email study group within my church. Somehow, during one of the mailings, the topic of listening for God's voice came up and so, my response, of course, was to start whining about how I've never heard the voice of God. I've met so many people, who have spoken about hearing God's voice, following His advice and being blessed as a result. When I hear about this, I wonder, what makes these people so special? Why aren't I special? I WANT TO BE SPECIAL!
This sparked an on-line conversation and it turned me into a rather contemplative person for a spell. It was through this contemplation that I began to actively seek God's voice. I actually started listening for it. It wasn't too long after this that I heard something, (which is good because God knows that I'm not always the most patient at waiting!)
At the time of the aforementioned on-line conversation, I was finishing up a degree and was getting ready to complete my thesis project. I was in school and we were having a brainstorming session. For my project, I was required to develop a program, which brought multiple art forms to a community in which I was member.
As a teacher, my first instinct was to think of something I could do for my school. However, as I wrote down my ideas, something new kept popping into my brain. There was a voice, NOT UNFAMILIAR, mind you, clearly speaking to
me within my own mind, feeding me ideas:
"Visual Arts club *for the church,* a literary magazine *for the church,* an oral history project *for the church.*"
I said a little prayer, right there, in the middle of the classroom. I asked, "Is that really You God?" And the response was, "Listen."
"Naw," I thought. "That can't be GOD talking to me...
"Could it be?
"Little ol' me?
"Big fat sinner, me?
"Am I worthy?"
And I kept going.
My ideas were reaffirmed as we brought our brainstorming session to the whole group. Each of us had giant pieces of butcher paper hanging on the wall of the classroom. I put ALL my ideas - school and church - on that paper, and then our professor went through each of our ideas publicly with the class, giving us feedback and advice about each possibility. When she got to mine, she read through each one, glossing over the school ideas, and started concentrating on my ideas for the church. Then, she looked at me and said, "I get the feeling you're needing to do something here."
"Oh?" I asked.
"I can see that you are leaning towards this," and she took a big black marker and circled the "church" section of my paper. Then she addressed the entire group, "You all, as teachers," she said, give so much to your school. It's okay to focus on a less-expected community, like your church. All communities can benefit from art," and her focus shifted back to me, "so I
want you to go with your heart here."
And that was that. Not only was God speaking to me directly, He was speaking to me through my professor.
Since then, I have written a rationale for an oral history project and an Oral History Manual for my church. I reached out to my pastor, who helped me with logistics and Biblical support. I reached out to the Email Bible Study group and many of
the members helped point me in the right direction. My father-in-law entertained my Biblical scavenger hunt and helped me locate many verses. During this process, I also found out the church has a member who is a professional proofreader, and she agreed to help me with the rationale and manual.
Now I'm done with my program and have a shiny new degree. I will "walk" in a graduation ceremony in May. I was able to do this all because of my improved listening skills, my very understanding children and husband, a supportive extended family and by the grace of God and His wonderful advice.
I know that prior to this, I have received messages from God, but I didn't recognize His voice, or chose not to recognize it some how. Like I said earlier, when I started listening to His voice, it was not an unfamiliar voice. It was a voice that I hear daily and have heard daily for as long as I remember. I just wasn't recognizing it as His voice. I am learning to stay tuned to that voice now. Some times I still revert to my ever-so-human tendencies, and that's when things usually go awry.
But when I do listen to, as my friend always calls it, "that small still voice" things are better. I am blessed. I am led to do good things. I have yet to be disappointed by anything I've done as a result of taking God's advice.
Although I still have a lifetime of learning ahead of me I have identified three types of clues that help me to recognize God's voice.
1. Nothing God ever tells me to do goes against what God wants me to do. The voice that says "THIS IS GOD ... ORDER THE EXTRA LARGE FRIES!" is really just MY voice trying to trick me into doing something I want to do. The voice that gives me advice on how to handle my students justly in class or how to solve a problem rationally is far too wise to be my own voice, so it must be God's voice. So, my first clue is always that the voice is giving solid, wise advice.
2. God uses people in my life to guide me - whether it's my husband, or my professor, one of my students, one of my children, or a complete stranger. When I am struggling with a decision, God has a way of placing people in your path that will help you come to the right decision. Some times it seems to be by chance, but sometimes it's because you get an urge to "Call Grandma" or "Talk to your daughter about this." God puts people in our lives at exactly the right time and that's my second clue.
3. The final clue that tends to be the spiritual equivalent of a flashing neon light is when I follow God's advice and the circumstances surrounding the advice just fall into place. This has happened to me so many times, it's amazing I was able to ignore God's voice for as long as I did, but I'm glad it didn't take me 30 more years. I have plenty of life left into me to
do God's will. It's no mistake when you feel an urge to donate money to a charity and then find a $10 bill that you forgot about in your jacket pocket. It's no mistake when your daughter wakes up on Sunday morning and is excited to go to church, even though you were thinking about skipping out (not that that's EVER happened to me it's just an example). My final clue is always is that of God lighting my path. He knows what a doofus I can be, so he makes it pretty obvious.
I'd like to now share with you this Bible passage:
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice
behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
- ISAIAH 30:21
Now, it is my job to walk the way in which I am being led. It is my job to follow God's plans instead of doing what I want to do. When I listen to God's voice good things happen.
And, although I realize that laughter is a wonderful thing in some situations, in fact, one of my favorite things to do is to
make people laugh, even if it's at my own expense, from this point forward, I'd like to give God's abdominal muscles a rest. I know I'll still give Him a chuckle from time to time, but I hope to at least give Him time to breathe between bouts of laughter.