"God! If You would only speak to me ... I would obey! I am listening Lord ... please tell me what You want me to do!"
How many times have you or I said those words in a desperate prayer to God the Father?
"God! If You would only speak ... I will obey!"
"God! If You would only tell me what to do ... I will do it!"
And yet, you might feel after crying out to God in desperation, that the silence goes on ... and on ... and on.
Perhaps the challenge is that God is indeed speaking but that He is speaking in ways that you and I do not recognize or in a manner that you and I choose to ignore.
How did God speak in the Bible?
He spoke through prophets ... through a donkey ... through ordinary people ... through fire ... through the sound of a gentle wind ... through handwriting on the wall.
God spoke through His Son ... through miracles ... through wise people ... through creation ... in sacrifice ... and in worship.
God has always spoken through the His written Word.
God speaks often and loudly. He is a communicator and has been speaking to His people since the very beginning of time. God is not a silent God but longs for the camaraderie of a daily and verbal friendship with His children.
He is speaking ... are you listening?
One of the ways that God often speaks to me is through the Bible; this is especially true when my heart is humble and my spirit is open. I don't just open my Bible randomly and expect a phrase to jump off the page at me, however, I do ask God to speak through His written Word as I enthusiastically and habitually read it.
Often in my daily quiet times, God speaks direction and gives specific guidance through a verse or through a Bible story.
God speaks to me when I worship. I often hear Him the most loudly through the words of a song and through a stirring in my heart when my hands are raised in the air.
God speaks to me when I have laid down my opinions and bluster and have placed Him back on the throne of my heart.
God speaks to me through sermons ... through the words of Bible teachers ... through blog posts ... through podcasts ... through radio teachers ... and through books.
Throughout all of recorded history, God has often chosen a man or a woman to be His mouthpiece concerning a certain situation. In our modern culture, God continually uses common men and women, who have spent time with Him, to speak on His behalf.
God speaks to me through peace and through joy.
"Seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34:14, MEV).
When I find myself in a place of peace in spite of my circumstances, I know that is God speaking to me.
When joy overwhelms my spirit even though events and people are raging, I know that is God speaking to me.
God is speaking to each one of us every day ... are you listening?
Carol McLeod is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. She has written five books: No More Ordinary, Holy Estrogen!, The Rooms of a Woman's Heart and Defiant Joy! Her most recent book, Refined: Finding Joy in the Midst of the Fire, was released on Aug. 1. Her teaching DVD The Rooms of a Woman's Heart won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award for excellence in religious programming.
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