When I sign my books now, I write “Be still and know…His voice.”
It combines my two favorite states from God captured in the Bible as it encapsulates the meaning behind “I Knew His Voice.”
“Be still and know that I AM God” – Psalm 46:10
“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me” – John 10:27
Do you know God’s voice? If He spoke to you today, would you recognize the sound?
That’s the big question, isn’t it? How does God speak to you? We want to know what God thinks, what his voice is like for those big, big ticket items in our life, taking a job, moving, having kids, building a home, whatever it is. I know I have. And if there’s one thing in life that I would ask of God, it would be, Lord, I want to clearly hear your voice because i want to walk in obedience to you.
I’ve not hidden that God has clearly spoken to me at times. Many of those times resulted in a reflection on The Road of Faith. My book is named “I knew His Voice” partly because of my daughter’s response to my question and partly because He spoke to me, I knew His voice.
Yes, there are times I’ve heard His Voice as audibly as a friend, or a father standing beside me. But, that isn’t what normally happens.
Normally, His voice is hidden in a whisper. Something read in Scripture or said in a homily that just opens your eyes. Many times, He speaks in a phrase or words that just make you stop a moment. Or, other times, He buries the words in your heart so He can speak them out at a future event. This is how He used John 10:27-28 for me.
Many times His voice comes hidden through the words spoken by a friend. This has happened a lot from the men in Emmaus and CMF.
Or, maybe He speaks through a moment? Walking to daily Mass, past a homeless man, and something calls out to stop and help him. Or, in a rainstorm passing a young mother trying to protect her children from the rain – and being ‘told’ to turn back to give your umbrella away.
God does speak. He wants nothing more than for you to stop and listen. We have to slow down, stop the world for a moment and silently ‘turn our ear” in His direction.
In fact, I sit here this morning doing just that. It’s very early as I sit and read my Bible, dark outside and very quiet. I look to the chair beside me, and say, “God, I know You are here. I am sitting here silently, waiting to hear what You have to say.”
Sometimes He ‘speaks’, sometimes we just sit in the quiet together. Both moments are great and blessed.
So, how does God speak with you?
Shhhh – listen…