Knowing His Voice

God knows there will be times when we question His voice. The good news is that He keeps speaking in the midst of uncertainty.

-Abby McDonald

Growing up with younger siblings and during the *67 (no caller id) era, I fell victim to prank calls often. I could almost guarantee that every time my little brother went to stay with friends, I would be receiving a prank call from an unknown number that evening. I sometimes would play into their antics and listen as they laugh thinking they had me fooled, but truthfully, I always recognized the voice on the other end of the phone.

If someone you really knew and were close to called you from an unknown number would you pick up and recognize their voice? What if it was your siblings or parents? I think most of you can agree with me when I say that, yes, of course I would. I like to think that I would recognize almost immediately.

Now imagine the voice on the other end of the phone was the voice of God. Would you pick up then? Would you recognize His voice?

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:27

Although I wish it was as easy as just picking up the phone and having a conversation with Him, however that is not how it works. Therefore, recognizing His voice can be very difficult. At times I wish He could appear before me and so clearly tell me "yes" or "no" but that is not how God speaks to me.

More often, I find Him speaking to me in the lyrics of worship songs that I blast through my speakers on the way to work, in the tugging of my heartstrings when I read something that moves me deeply, in the beauty of His creation as I watch waves crash against the shore, or in the true joy that comes with speaking to students and sharing my story, giving God the glory. You see, these whispers from the Lord can be so easily overlooked. But I pray that I, as well as all of you, learn to recognize these conversations with the Lord and follow Him one step at a time, continuing to seek Him and growing your faith. When we want a GPS telling us exactly where to go and what to do, God gives us a relationship and tells us to trust in Him.

If he calls you, say, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening."

1 Samuel 3:9

Dive into His Word and spend more time with Him in prayer. The only way for us to recognize His voice, is for it to become more familiar. Ask God to speak to you today, and by faith, learn to listen to Him and obey His commands.

God is calling. Will you recognize His voice?