Hearing God’s Voice
"If you want to hear God's voice clearly and are uncertain, then remain in His presence until He changes that uncertainty. Often much can happen during this waiting for the Lord. Sometimes He changes pride to humility; doubt into faith and peace..."
- Corrie ten Boom
Confession, y'all. I do not yet hear God's voice audibly. You know how folks gush as they describe talking to Most High like a bestie? Slowly, I am getting there. I know I need to quiet this mind, though, and resist the weight of daily distractions through prayer and quiet reflection.
Too often I allow to-do lists and obligations to encroach on our time. And yet when I surrender to stillness - no cell phone or laptop, God’s presence consumes this weary heart, and biblical promises (Jeremiah 29:11) sooth despair, birthing an unremitting hope.
I prayed to see deer as an indication of our daughter's healing and God's presence with us during this season of uncertainty. And now, friends, they appear, randomly - regal, majestic, stunningly beautiful, a visual testament to perseverence.
On a late night drive with Nai, after passing a lone deer standing still at a local farm I decided to Google their biblical significance and discovered these verses:
"Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills." - HABAKKUK 3: 17-19 (NKJV)
Ah! This is why God laid these stunning creatures on my heart, I thought, an apt reminder to trust in spite of shifting circumstances. His guidance is unwavering, even as our confidence oscillates over time.
Are you, struggling, like me, to hold on to these words in a seemingly impossible battle? "Common sense" urges us to doggedly fight or escape, but God whispers patiently, "Let go so I can begin to work." Can you hear Him above the noise of doubt? He lifts us above difficulties when we willingly shed pieces of ourselves without shame, standing wrecked at the intersection of what appears chaotic. In the midst of such brokenness and vulnerability, His glory is elevated.
Standing still means there is space for God to join us, and provide healing, comforting and encouragement. I am tired of running and fighting alone some days. Are you? Let us stand together and allow God to propel us forward in His time.
Our Prayer:
Holy One, Teach me to stand on your word. Remind me to carry these promises within the core of my heart, spirit and soul. Focus my eyes not on the circumstances, but you, for nothing is impossible when I look towards heaven. Your word says:
"Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18).
Thank you, God, for deliverance, healing and wholeness, in your name I pray, Amen.
Musical Inspiration:
Travis Greene, You Made a Way