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God is Talking...Are You Listening?

Do you speak to God? Have you ever just suddenly stopped what you were doing, and looked up and said “God …”? Sure you have… we all have. Especially during the times that we have felt completely broken and beat up.

I’ll bet we’ve all even asked Him questions… “God, what is going on here?” “What do You want me to do, Father?” But, now, the trick is to listen when He talks back…

Do me a favor. Stop. Now listen. Listen to whatever is taking place around you. Is there a television on somewhere in the house? Can you hear it? Or what about a radio? Do you hear a fan running, or birds outside? How about a car driving down your street? Listen closely. You hear something, don’t you? Whatever it may be, you hear something other than what your heard when you were not listening, right?

Now, tell me this. Just because you were not listening to those sounds before, did that mean that they did not exist? No. It only meant that you were not focusing in on them. How many times have we walked around our home with either the television on, or a radio, and not heard a single thing that was going on? I myself have done it many many times. I am particularly good at putting a Praise CD in the radio, only to realize that I missed hearing my favorite song. Not because it mysteriously did not play, but because I was not paying attention.

Well, believe it or not, it works the same way with Our Father in Heaven. He is speaking to you… A LOT! The trick is to learn how to hear Him. And it’s really no trick at all. You just have to pay attention and know that He’s speaking.

Our Lord will speak to us in many many ways. He is not limited by anything, not even our own imaginations. Yes, He can speak directly to you. That is when you will hear that still small voice inside your heart. Maybe you’ll feel like you hear a very audible voice… but you will hear Him. But there are other ways in which He will speak to you as well. He will speak to you through your environment and whatever else is available to you at the time. But you have to be listening. And you have to know that there are no such things as coincidences. NONE! God is in control of every single thing that goes on in this world. It’s His world, so why shouldn’t He be?

Sometimes He may not give you a direct answer to what you are seeking. I mean, if you are wondering where you teenage son is, and ask God for His help, I’m not so sure a scroll is going to fall out of the sky saying “Jacob went to Kristen’s house at 5pm, and then they went over to the park. Jacob forgot to tell you that he was invited for dinner, but he’s okay.” But, hey, if that does happen, Praise God! What I have found to be more the case for me when I am looking for God to speak to me is that he will show me something, anything, to assure me that He is with me… and that in and of itself delivers the message that everything will be okay.

What kind of sign you ask? Any kind! Remember, God is not limited! One day, as I drove down the highway, crying my eyes out, calling out to Him, a car pulled up just in front of me with the license plate “Don’t Quit”. My tears immediately eased, and I thanked God for His mercy and grace. Does that mean as soon as that person drove away the plate changed into the normal scramble of numbers and letters? No… It means that whenever that person decided to get that plate, God knew how to arrange the circumstances so that I would see it just when I needed it. And I can promise you that many others have seen it when they needed it as well. But did they recognize it? It breaks my heart to acknowledge that some other person, crying and going through emotional pain saw that license plate one day, and instead of realizing God was speaking, chose to merely wish they had the same attitude as the driver of the car.

God will speak to you even when you are not speaking to Him… which is awesome! He speaks to me mostly through butterflies and sparrows. Butterflies have always been something that I recognize as from God, and sparrows… well, whenever I see a sparrow, I am reminded of how God said that not even a single sparrow falls to the earth without His knowledge, and how much more He loves me!

God will also speak to you through His word. Please, don’t read The Bible, and come across something that makes you think, “Gee, it would be so nice if this was for me… but God’s talking to Moses here.” No… wrong answer. God is speaking to you! He gave us the Bible specifically for that reason! To guide us and speak to us! Do you realize how many times the Bible instructs us to seek God’s will? Now, why would He tell us to ask Him to speak to us, if He wasn’t gonna do it?

I am reminded of a story about a woman that was offered a job in Los Angels. She had been looking for a new job in her, somewhere in the mid-west… and somehow her resume ended up at a company hundreds of miles away… but it was the ideal job, offering her just want she wanted. Her problem was that she was afraid of leaving her hometown and all of her family and friends behind. I can sympathize with that. So, she sought God, and asked Him to reveal His plan to her. The next day she heard someone say “Go West Young Man.” but disregarded it. Then while at work, heard the song “LA Woman”… hmmmmmm. It grabbed her attention for a moment, but she soon forgot about it. And finally, at lunch, as she sat in the diner, contemplating her situation, someone sat across from her and lifted up a newspaper… the headline said “Los Angels Wins Hands Down!” She jumped up and ran back to her office to submit her letter of resignation, and she moved to LA two weeks later. It was in Los Angles that she met her husband and became a very successful CEO of a major marketing firm. Well, Praise The Lord that she was listening to Him!

When you log onto the internet, and somehow find yourself reading a devotional that you feel is related directly to you and your situation… it is! God planned it that way! When you go to church, and the service seems like it was written just for you and your life… it was! That’s not to say that it won’t affect others the same way… but God has a way with these things… He can do that. He can arrange it so that those that need to hear, read, or see the same message are able.

When I first began the journey to the restoration of my marriage, I told my husband about all of the signs that I saw, and he said to me “I think you are only seeing what you want to see.” He was absolutely right. I wanted, needed to hear from God… and I did. Just because it is something that may or may not have been there otherwise, doesn't not mean He didn’t plan it that way.

The Bible tells us that if we seek, we shall find. Seek God’s voice, seek God’s presence, and you will find it. So, the next time you are praying, or thinking to God, and you see a sparrow… realize that God is telling you He is with you.

Luke 11:9

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

In His Grace and For His Glory

Toi Soares 7/1/03