Are You Listening?

My best friend is really great about hooking me up with Christian books that make me pause.

One of them changed my life, and steered me to a course of reconciliation with someone I care very much about. That book is What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey.

Another such wonderful book that she put into my hands recently is Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. In that book is a quote that struck a deep chord with me. It reads as follows:

How Does God Talk to You?

While we know God speaks clearly to us through the Bible, many of us are uncertain how to hear God's voice in our spirit. "How does God speak to you?" someone asked author and speaker Carole Mayhall. I have found her answer immensely practical and helpful:

For me, He speaks by a distinct impression in my heart. He's never spoken to me aloud, but sometimes the thought that He puts in my soul is so vivid that He might as well have! Many times it is just a thought or an idea that flashes into my mind and I know it is from Him...

Sometimes a thought pops into my mind- a thought so different from what I was thinking, or so creative I never would have thought of it, or opposite to what I wanted God to say to me. When that happens-- and it lines up with God's word-- I know I've heard his voice in a distinct way... .

I pray frequently that I'll hear His voice more often and more clearly. When I don't, I know He hasn't stopped speaking; rather, I have stopped listening. (as cited in Weaver, 2000).

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I definitely had an "aha" moment when I read this passage. I knew exactly what Carole Mayhall was referring to! So many times in my life a thought has entered my head and I thought, "Now where did that come from?" Now it just seems obvious that thought came from God...God does speak to me... every day!

Consider my mind blown. Now all I need to do is listen, which I equate with what people call "trusting their gut". I used to think I had to be more religious, more something, to hear the voice of God. What a relief to find He talks to all of us, every single day.

Now that I know this, I don't want to stop listening. Ever.