How Does God Speak to You?
Do you know anyone who is always casually saying, "God told me this, or God told me that?" Are you comfortable with that? I know I'm not. Does God speak to his children? Absolutely. But my experience has not been one in which the voice of the Lord is necessarily that easy to discern. Perhaps this woman, of whom I speak, is a better listener. Perhaps she walks closer to the Lord. I can't discount those two possiblities. Perhaps it is just more about her bold personality. Whatever the case, here is how it generally works for me.
Last evening, I was reading this week's edition of Power for Living that comes in our weekly bulletin at church. On the "Christian Classics" page was a little ditty by George Muller about Seeking First the Kingdom. After reading it, I said, "Holy Spirit, teach me what it means to seek first the kingdom of God." Later that evening, I picked up the devotional, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Can you guess what the scripture was? Yep, Matt. 6:33. Do I now know all there is to seeking first the kingdom? Hardly. But God was obviously at work revealing to me a little insight into this important subject.
Having presented this as the "normal" way God speaks to me, I want to share some unusual ways he has spoken to me. One instance will forever stand out in my mind. It happened more than 25 yrs. ago. Something was discovered that threatened everything I hold dear. Immediately, God spoke very loudly in my spirit, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." What a comfort! God knew the magnitude of this earth shaking revelation and rallied to help.
Over ten years later, this issue reared its ugly head in a devastating way. I said to God, now what? He asnswered, "Now you die." I had heard people talk about death to self. I was sure this was what God was talking about and I had no idea whatever what that meant. I still don't know what it means, but if God said, "Now you die, it is either in the process or will happen. God knows.
Lastly, I would like to share something that involved God speaking but no scripture was involved. When I was pregnant with Andrew, suddenly I heard the word midwife everywhere. I live in an area where many Old Order Mennonites reside and they use midwives almost exclusively. I had had a lot of bleeding issues with my pregnancies and the idea of using a midwife was very disconcerting. My friend, who was into the natural way of doing things told me they have teas. I told her I wasn't prepared to trust my life to a tea. (Another pregnancy, down the line, showed me just how much these teas actually can do.)
The thought, however, would not leave, and I began to feel guilty for not having the faith to step out and entrust myself to a midwife. In a convoluted way, the particulars of which I don't completely remember but I know it involved a Harrisburg phone directory, the Lord led me to Harrisburg Birth and Women's Center. The center was directly across from the hospital and the midwives were certified. Now we were talking!
I had a wonderful experience with this arrangement and was able to have midwives for my last two babies by first traveling to Lewistown and then finally being able to get a midwife in Lewisburg. I was not seeking God at all in this matter. It would have been business as usual, but God had a better plan.
These examples are not, of course, the full extent of God speaking to me, they are just enough to get you thinking. And now the question is, "How does the Lord speak to you?"
Last evening, I was reading this week's edition of Power for Living that comes in our weekly bulletin at church. On the "Christian Classics" page was a little ditty by George Muller about Seeking First the Kingdom. After reading it, I said, "Holy Spirit, teach me what it means to seek first the kingdom of God." Later that evening, I picked up the devotional, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Can you guess what the scripture was? Yep, Matt. 6:33. Do I now know all there is to seeking first the kingdom? Hardly. But God was obviously at work revealing to me a little insight into this important subject.
Having presented this as the "normal" way God speaks to me, I want to share some unusual ways he has spoken to me. One instance will forever stand out in my mind. It happened more than 25 yrs. ago. Something was discovered that threatened everything I hold dear. Immediately, God spoke very loudly in my spirit, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." What a comfort! God knew the magnitude of this earth shaking revelation and rallied to help.
Over ten years later, this issue reared its ugly head in a devastating way. I said to God, now what? He asnswered, "Now you die." I had heard people talk about death to self. I was sure this was what God was talking about and I had no idea whatever what that meant. I still don't know what it means, but if God said, "Now you die, it is either in the process or will happen. God knows.
Lastly, I would like to share something that involved God speaking but no scripture was involved. When I was pregnant with Andrew, suddenly I heard the word midwife everywhere. I live in an area where many Old Order Mennonites reside and they use midwives almost exclusively. I had had a lot of bleeding issues with my pregnancies and the idea of using a midwife was very disconcerting. My friend, who was into the natural way of doing things told me they have teas. I told her I wasn't prepared to trust my life to a tea. (Another pregnancy, down the line, showed me just how much these teas actually can do.)
The thought, however, would not leave, and I began to feel guilty for not having the faith to step out and entrust myself to a midwife. In a convoluted way, the particulars of which I don't completely remember but I know it involved a Harrisburg phone directory, the Lord led me to Harrisburg Birth and Women's Center. The center was directly across from the hospital and the midwives were certified. Now we were talking!
I had a wonderful experience with this arrangement and was able to have midwives for my last two babies by first traveling to Lewistown and then finally being able to get a midwife in Lewisburg. I was not seeking God at all in this matter. It would have been business as usual, but God had a better plan.
These examples are not, of course, the full extent of God speaking to me, they are just enough to get you thinking. And now the question is, "How does the Lord speak to you?"
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