Desperate to Hear God (Part 2)

. . . Click here to read Part 1.

          I felt a calm come over me. Nothing about my situation changed, but somehow I knew everything was going to be okay.

          The next day at work, I took a phone book and walked to a back office to use the phone. (This was a few years before Google and cell phones.) The only person I could think of to call, and ask, “um, how do I get back to God?” was the Senior Pastor at the large church I attended a few years before. I didn’t know him personally, nor did he know me, so I certainly don’t hold it against him, but I burst into tears when his secretary told me he could not talk to me. She offered to put me through to the College Pastor. Knowing what I know now, I should have spoken to the College Pastor. I’m sure he knew exactly how I could find my way back to God. At the time, though, I was embarrassed and didn’t think anyone else ever had this problem, so I didn’t want to talk to just anybody.

Still desperate and sad, I prayed again,

“God I don’t know anybody who can help me. Please send someone who can help me get out of this pit and back to You.”

I needed to get myself together, so I got in my car and left for my lunch break. On the way, I drove past my old high school and stopped at a red light. A group of high school students crossed in front of me on their way to the pizza place across from the school. There, in the middle of the group, I saw the leader of the Young Life group I went to when I was in high school. He walked in front of my car and I knew instantly God brought him there at the exact time I stopped at the light. It was as if God was parading him in front of me, with a neon sign over his head saying “Call him.”

Smiling, I knew God answered my prayer. “Yes Lord! That’s a great idea, I will call him!”

           
          I didn’t know him and his wife well, and I doubted they would remember me. But I knew I had to call them, because they would know how to help me get back to God. That was what Young Life was about, telling high school students how to have a relationship with God. Surely, I wasn’t the only one who fell away from God and didn’t know how to get back. I couldn’t wait to talk to them.

        
           I will never forget what they told me the night I met with them. After I explained my dilemma, he said, “I know what your problem is. You are trying to be a Lone Ranger Christian. You need to be with other believers. God didn’t make us to walk the Christian life by ourselves.”

          They invited me to a college women’s Bible study. We met weekly and studied about spiritual gifts.Through the weeks of reading God’s Word, studying, praying and meeting with others who wanted to grow closer to God, an amazing thing happened.

I found my way back to Him.

"Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,' declares the LORD."    Jeremiah 29:12-14

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I hope you enjoyed this series on Hearing God. This was part of the month long writing challenge at write31days.com. To read the rest of the series, click the links below. If you would like to read future posts, please sign up in the upper right hand corner to receive them by email.

Day 1: Take Off Your Sandals
Day 2:  God in the Grocery Store
Day 3:  God in the Grocery Store - Part2
Day 4:  Peeking During Prayer
Day 5:  How Do We Know God's Voice?
Day 6:  A Young Mom, Toddler Toys and Hearing God
Day 7:  Hearing God When Making Decisions
Day 8:  Lining Up Those Ducks
Day 9:   Hearing God for Our Kids
Day 10: God or Genie in a Bottle?
Day 11: The Perfect Day to Hear God
Day 12: Hearing God in a Crisis
Day 13:  7 Ways to Test an Impression
Day 14:  Remote Assignment
Day 15:  God's Silence
Day 16:  Hearing God While Dating
Day 17:  Hearing God Bible Verses
Day 18:  What Others Say About Hearing God
Day 19:  Hearing God Through Distractions
Day 20:  Hearing God as a Child
Day 21:  Hearing God in Confusion
Day 22:  Hearing God's Encouraging Voice
Day 23:  Hearing God on a Tractor
Day 24:  An Email Confirmation
Day 25:  Do You Really Want to Hear From God?
Day 26:  Why Hear God?
Day 27:  Are You Texting God?
Day 28:  Hearing God in Our Depression
Day 29:  To Hear God We Must Know God
Day 30:  Desperate to Hear God (Part 1)
Day 31:  Desperate to Hear God (Part 2)

Desperate to Hear God

(If you enjoyed this series on Hearing God, please consider signing up on the top right side to receive inspiring posts through email.) 

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          I sat alone in my dorm room crying. How had I fallen this far away from God? I was miserable, lonely, and empty. I sobbed at my desk, makeup running down my face, big blubbering sobs. I hated my life and everything I was doing and had no hope for my future or plan to get out of my situation. I was failing college, but more importantly I missed my relationship with God. 

Thinking back, I remembered as a young girl, I could not wait to get baptized. When my Dad prayed with me and I asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life and committed to follow Him, I meant every word and my life changed. I loved reading the Bible, loved going to church, loved learning about God and His Son. I grew up in a military family, so we moved every two years. Every place we moved, we found a church and started attending. I was the most enthusiastic about going to church, and when my family didn’t go, God always provided a friend or another family who took me to church. I couldn’t get enough. I loved singing praise songs to Him. I loved memorizing Bible verses. As I grew older, I went to church camps and attended and led Bible studies during high school.

Somewhere along the line I walked away from God. It makes me sad to admit it now, even many years later. But, I turned my back and walked away from the God who loved me so dearly and had been with me everywhere I went. Foolishly, I decided to see what life was like doing the things college life had to offer.

So, there I was that dark night all alone. I felt like I was in a dark pit and had no idea how to get out. Through my tears I cried up at my ceiling,

“Help me God! I don’t know how to get back to You. What do I do?”

 I poured out my heart to Him and told Him how sorry I was for the stupid things I had been doing. I wanted to be done with that life, but I didn’t know how to take the first step. I had not gone to church in a couple of years and did not know any Christians who I could ask for help.

After several hours of crying and begging God to show me how to get back to Him, I collapsed in a heap. I knew God spoke to people in the Bible, and I wanted so much to hear His voice, for Him to tell me what to do and show me the way out of the pit I was in. I didn’t hear His voice that night, but I knew He heard mine. I knew He loved me and He would show me how to find Him again.   

(Part 2 tomorrow)

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Have you ever been desperate to hear God? Did you know then that He loved you and heard your prayer, even if you didn't hear Him? Please share in the comments below.

If you would like to read some great stories of people who have heard God speak to them, click on one of the links below. This is Day 29 in a series about Hearing God. It is part of a writing challenge at www.write31days.com. When you finish reading here, please hop over to that site for many great topics and blogs.

Day 1: Take Off Your Sandals
Day 2:  God in the Grocery Store
Day 3:  God in the Grocery Store - Part2
Day 4:  Peeking During Prayer
Day 5:  How Do We Know God's Voice?
Day 6:  A Young Mom, Toddler Toys and Hearing God
Day 7:  Hearing God When Making Decisions
Day 8:  Lining Up Those Ducks
Day 9:   Hearing God for Our Kids
Day 10: God or Genie in a Bottle?
Day 11: The Perfect Day to Hear God
Day 12: Hearing God in a Crisis
Day 13:  7 Ways to Test an Impression
Day 14:  Remote Assignment
Day 15:  God's Silence
Day 16:  Hearing God While Dating
Day 17:  Hearing God Bible Verses
Day 18:  What Others Say About Hearing God
Day 19:  Hearing God Through Distractions
Day 20:  Hearing God as a Child
Day 21:  Hearing God in Confusion
Day 22:  Hearing God's Encouraging Voice
Day 23:  Hearing God on a Tractor
Day 24:  An Email Confirmation
Day 25:  Do You Really Want to Hear From God?
Day 26:  Why Hear God?
Day 27:  Are You Texting God?
Day 28:  Hearing God in Our Depression
Day 29:  To Hear God We Must Know God
Day 30:
Day 31: Desperate to Hear God (Part 2)

To Hear God We Must Know God

I hope you have enjoyed this month of stories about people hearing God. One of the main things I learned is in order to hear God we have to know God. We need to know who He is, how He acts, what His characteristics are in order to know what He sounds like.

         The first time God spoke about Himself in the Bible was when He showed His glory and goodness to Moses. He tells Moses, and us, what He is like. In Exodus 34:6,7, God describes Himself as compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, and forgiving. When we are praying and listening for God to speak to us, and we hear those characteristics we can know it is God.

         In the New Testament, Jesus told his disciples if they saw Him, then they saw God the Father, because they were the same. What is Jesus like? It is His Spirit that lives inside us, if we are His followers. His spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control.  When we hear a voice that sounds like that, we can know it is God speaking.

         If we hear a voice in our spirit that makes us feel bad about ourselves, that is not God’s voice. The Bible says it is the enemy who accuses us, condemns us and makes us feel guilty. The enemy’s voice will make us feel bad about ourselves.

         God does not condemn us or make us feel guilty. He will correct us, but in a way that we still feel good about ourselves. We will be thankful for the correction. It will be a positive in our life. He will speak the truth to you in a way that will set you free.

         What we know of God, how we perceive Him and what we think about Him determines how and if we hear Him. To hear God, we must understand who He is and what He is like.

If you would like to read some great stories of people who have heard God speak to them, click on one of the links below. This is Day 29 in a series about Hearing God. It is part of a writing challenge at www.write31days.com. When you finish reading here, please hop over to that site for many great topics and blogs.

Day 1: Take Off Your Sandals
Day 2:  God in the Grocery Store
Day 3:  God in the Grocery Store - Part2
Day 4:  Peeking During Prayer
Day 5:  How Do We Know God's Voice?
Day 6:  A Young Mom, Toddler Toys and Hearing God
Day 7:  Hearing God When Making Decisions
Day 8:  Lining Up Those Ducks
Day 9:   Hearing God for Our Kids
Day 10: God or Genie in a Bottle?
Day 11: The Perfect Day to Hear God
Day 12: Hearing God in a Crisis
Day 13:  7 Ways to Test an Impression
Day 14:  Remote Assignment
Day 15:  God's Silence
Day 16:  Hearing God While Dating
Day 17:  Hearing God Bible Verses
Day 18:  What Others Say About Hearing God
Day 19:  Hearing God Through Distractions
Day 20:  Hearing God as a Child
Day 21:  Hearing God in Confusion
Day 22:  Hearing God's Encouraging Voice
Day 23:  Hearing God on a Tractor
Day 24:  An Email Confirmation
Day 25:  Do You Really Want to Hear From God?
Day 26:  Why Hear God?
Day 27:  Are You Texting God?
Day 28:  Hearing God in Our Depression
Day 29:
Day 30: Desperate to Hear God
Day 31: Desperate to Hear God (Part 2)

 

Hearing God in Our Depression

     When my friend Michele’s military husband was deployed for a year, leaving her with four kids at home, and away from their families, she shared this story:

There were times when I felt like I could not catch my breath as panic set in.  Bitterness had taken root in my heart.  The reality of my current life situation compounded with the many unknowns in our future set me into a tail spin.   Well meaning friends would ask how they could help us and all I wanted to do was scream to them, "I do not want your help, I want my husband home!" I am pretty sure there were times that my children thought about the phone-a-friend option!  I am pretty sure that if anyone on the outside had seen our reality they would have questioned my stability.

And then God spoke to my heart.

Through a military spouse-specific devotion book I purchased and His perfect timing, I found the reassurance that I needed. God cares, and He was just as sad as I was.  And maybe even angry as well.  He does not desire to see His people hurt, but He does desire to see them grow.”

         In learning to hear God we need to remember how much He loves us. He cares about the details of our lives. He cares if we are stressed and overwhelmed. He cares about our relationships. He cares about our kids, our marriages, our jobs and our ministries. There is not a pit of depression too deep that He can’t speak to us.

         The devotion book Michele read reminded her of how much God loved and cared for her and that He was sad about her life circumstances as well. Knowing that made all the difference to her. We have a God who cares and empathizes with us. Yet, He is strong enough to be our strength when we are weak. He is our Guide when we need direction. He is our comfort when we hurt. He is a father to the fatherless, and our friend when we are lonely.

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9

To read the rest of Michele’s story or to check out her blog, click here.

http://www.familyfaithandfridays.com/2015/03/how-god-changed-my-heart.html

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How about you? Have you heard God’s voice when you were in a pit of depression? What did God say to you? Please share in the comments below.

This is day 28 in the series about Hearing God. It is part of the write31days.com writing challenge. To read the other posts in this series, click the links below. If you enjoyed these post, please consider signing up to receive them in your email. Don’t worry on all other months I post, at the most, twice a week.

Day 1: Take Off Your Sandals
Day 2:  God in the Grocery Store
Day 3:  God in the Grocery Store - Part2
Day 4:  Peeking During Prayer
Day 5:  How Do We Know God's Voice?
Day 6:  A Young Mom, Toddler Toys and Hearing God
Day 7:  Hearing God When Making Decisions
Day 8:  Lining Up Those Ducks
Day 9:   Hearing God for Our Kids
Day 10: God or Genie in a Bottle?
Day 11: The Perfect Day to Hear God
Day 12: Hearing God in a Crisis
Day 13:  7 Ways to Test an Impression
Day 14:  Remote Assignment
Day 15:  God's Silence
Day 16:  Hearing God While Dating
Day 17:  Hearing God Bible Verses
Day 18:  What Others Say About Hearing God
Day 19:  Hearing God Through Distractions
Day 20:  Hearing God as a Child
Day 21:  Hearing God in Confusion
Day 22:  Hearing God's Encouraging Voice
Day 23:  Hearing God on a Tractor
Day 24:  An Email Confirmation
Day 25:  Do You Really Want to Hear From God?
Day 26:  Why Hear God?
Day 27:  Are You Texting God?
Day 28:
Day 29:
Day 30: Desperate to Hear God
Day 31: Desperate to Hear God (Part 2)

Are You Texting God?

          Have you noticed we are texting more and more? Or maybe it is just me because I have three sons who prefer text over talking. I also have women friends, my age (35, give or take ) who I only ever have text conversations with. Some of these are long paragraphs of information, some using correct grammar, some using a sort of abbreviated, no capitals, no punctuation, hybrid English. My actual phone conversations, where we are talking, are getting fewer and fewer. Even my Mom texts me more now. (Not that there is anything wrong with that Mom.) The point is, we seem to text more than we talk anymore.

     Don’t get me wrong, I like text –never while driving, of course –but texting has its place. Texting is great for sending and receiving information.

“Can you pick up some milk?”

“Please let the dogs out when you get home from school.”

“Let’s meet at Panera at 11:30.” 

I don’t know about you, but I have also received some long, loooooong detailed paragraphs of text telling me a personal or important story. Most of these would have been better as an actual conversation, on the phone or in person. I never know how to respond. I would like to call the person and talk to them, especially if they are describing a problem or want advice. But, because they text(ed) me first, I feel obligated to text back, thinking this is their preferred mode of dialogue.

On the phone, talking conversations or in-person conversations are much better for building friendships, showing care and genuine interest, sharing dreams, difficulties and life with people. IMHO (in my humble opinion) texts should be relegated to ‘information’ and actual talking should be for ‘conversation.’

In our text dominated world, is that what we do with prayer as well? Do we pray and expect God to send short, concise, immediate answers to our requests?

“God, should I take job A or job B?” 

A

   

“That person hurt me, should I hold a grudge or forgive?”

Forgive 

“Lord, he’s cute, should I go out with him, even though he is not a believer?”

No

God wants to have a relationship with us more than He wants to give out information. What good is the information or answers without a real, personal relationship with Him?

If we want to hear God, we need to pursue a personal relationship with Him, not just text Him questions about our immediate needs. God loves us and made us for relationships, both with Him and with others.

I know texting is here to stay, and I like the convenience as much as everyone else. When it comes to prayer, however, the God of the universe, the one who loves us more than anyone, wants to have a real, personal, communicative relationship with us. If we want to hear God we need to invest the time and effort it takes to have real conversations. When we do, it is always worth it.

John 15:15 “I have called you friends  . . .”

James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

John 13:35 “Love one another even as I have loved you.”

Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t panic. I am with you. There’s no need to fear for I am your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I will hold you steady, keeping a firm grip on you.”

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How about you? Do you ever feel like you are texting God for answers instead of pursuing a personal relationship with Him?

This is day 27 in the series about Hearing God. To read the other posts in this series, click the links below.

Day 1: Take Off Your Sandals
Day 2:  God in the Grocery Store
Day 3:  God in the Grocery Store - Part2
Day 4:  Peeking During Prayer
Day 5:  How Do We Know God's Voice?
Day 6:  A Young Mom, Toddler Toys and Hearing God
Day 7:  Hearing God When Making Decisions
Day 8:  Lining Up Those Ducks
Day 9:   Hearing God for Our Kids
Day 10: God or Genie in a Bottle?
Day 11: The Perfect Day to Hear God
Day 12: Hearing God in a Crisis
Day 13:  7 Ways to Test an Impression
Day 14:  Remote Assignment
Day 15:  God's Silence
Day 16:  Hearing God While Dating
Day 17:  Hearing God Bible Verses
Day 18:  What Others Say About Hearing God
Day 19:  Hearing God Through Distractions
Day 20:  Hearing God as a Child
Day 21:  Hearing God in Confusion
Day 22:  Hearing God's Encouraging Voice
Day 23:  Hearing God on a Tractor
Day 24:  An Email Confirmation
Day 25:  Do You Really Want to Hear From God?
Day 26:  Why Hear God?
Day 27:
Day 28:
Day 29:
Day 30:  Desperate to Hear God
Day 31:  Desperate to Hear God (Part 2)

Why Hear God?

Why is it important to hear God for ourselves? Isn’t it enough to hear our pastor on Sunday tell us what God said to him? Isn’t it enough to pray and pour out my heart to God?

Pastor Bill Hybels says, “The heart and soul of the Christian life is learning to hear God’s voice and then developing the courage to do what He asks us to do.”

One of the reasons hearing God is the heart and soul of the Christian life is it makes our relationship with God real and personal. If all we ever did was talk to our spouse and never listened to them, it would not be a very close relationship.

Secondly, the Bible says true followers of Jesus know His voice. God made us to have a relationship with Him. He loves us and is not hiding from us. He wants us to hear Him.

John 10:27 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Third, sometimes we need specific answers for our life. The Bible promises He will direct our path if we lean on Him.

Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”

Isaiah 30:21 says, Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’

Sarah Young, author of Jesus Calling says,

I began to wonder if I, too, could receive messages during my times of communing with God. I had been writing in prayer journals for years, but that was one-way communication: I did all the talking. I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more. Increasingly, I wanted to hear what God had to say to me personally on a given day. I decided to listen to God with pen in hand, writing down whatever I believe He was saying. I felt awkward the first time I tried this, but I received a message. It was short, biblical, and appropriate. It addressed topics that were current in my life: trust, fear, and closeness to God. I responded by writing in my prayer journal.

The practice of listening to God has increased my intimacy with Him more than any other spiritual discipline, so I wanted to share some of the messages I received.

Young’s whole book is messages she received, through prayer, from the Holy Spirit and the Bible.

Young says the practice of listening to God has increased her intimacy with God. As believers, children of God, we all long for that intimacy, don’t we? We want to know the mind of God and what He has for us.

It is the will of God to reveal His will to us. We need a clean heart and a surrendered will to hear Him.

If you are still having trouble hearing God, read the Jesus Calling book or app. It is written using scripture and is directed towards us, as if Jesus is doing the talking.

One of the signs a person is a believer is they want to hear God for themselves. God always speaks through the Bible, however, He is a creative God, and can speak to us anytime.

If you missed some of the ‘How to hear from God’ posts click the links below.

This is day 26 in the series about Hearing God. To read the other posts in this series, click the links below.

Day 1: Take Off Your Sandals
Day 2:  God in the Grocery Store
Day 3:  God in the Grocery Store - Part2
Day 4:  Peeking During Prayer
Day 5:  How Do We Know God's Voice?
Day 6:  A Young Mom, Toddler Toys and Hearing God
Day 7:  Hearing God When Making Decisions
Day 8:  Lining Up Those Ducks
Day 9:   Hearing God for Our Kids
Day 10: God or Genie in a Bottle?
Day 11: The Perfect Day to Hear God
Day 12: Hearing God in a Crisis
Day 13:  7 Ways to Test an Impression
Day 14:  Remote Assignment
Day 15:  God's Silence
Day 16:  Hearing God While Dating
Day 17:  Hearing God Bible Verses
Day 18:  What Others Say About Hearing God
Day 19:  Hearing God Through Distractions
Day 20:  Hearing God as a Child
Day 21:  Hearing God in Confusion
Day 22:  Hearing God's Encouraging Voice
Day 23:  Hearing God on a Tractor
Day 24:  An Email Confirmation
Day 25:  Do You Really Want to Hear From God?
Day 26:  Why Hear God?
Day 27:  Are You Texting God?
Day 28:  Hearing God in Our Depression
Day 29:
Day 30:  Desperate to Hear God
Day 31:  Desperate to Hear God (Part 2)

Do You Really Want to Hear From God?

A friend gave me a copy of a booklet called God Guides by Mary Geegh. She was a missionary in India for 38 years. Early on, she learned she did not have all the answers to help the people she was there to serve. Through a visiting pastor, she learned God did have all the answers for His people, and the best way to find those answers was through listening to Him.

The booklet offers page after page of stories about people hearing God regarding their sin, what God wanted them to do next, and answers to their questions. It is based on Psalm 37:7:

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him,”

Pray America, which publishes the booklet, offers a sample prayer to start listening to God for answers, direction, repentance and any other need you might have. Here is the sample prayer from God Guides:

Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, and according to James 1:5 I am seeking wisdom for  _____________________.

In the name of Jesus, according to Matthew 28:18 and Luke 10:19 & 20 I take authority over satan and his fallen angels and command that they be rendered deaf, dumb and blind to my prayers and removed from my presence. I place my own voice under subjection to the shed blood of Jesus and command that my own thoughts be taken captive to the obedience of Christ, according to 2 Corinthians 10:5. I ask Father that only Your Holy Spirit will speak to me as I wait on you for wisdom, insight and direction for ___________________ and what You show me and direct me to do I will quickly obey.

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

Matthew 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said ‘All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”

Luke 10:19-20 “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven.”

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

The idea is to sit with a pen and paper, pray, then wait and listen, and write down the impression the Lord gives you. This is not a formula, but an example of how others have learned to hear God for decisions they need to make.

Remember, sin blocks us hearing from God. So, if we have unconfessed sin,

deal with that first. Also, if God has already told you something to do or to stop doing, and you haven’t done that, He probably will not give you another word from Him until you obey the first thing.

I hope this helps. If you would like to read the booklet you can order one at prayamerica.org.

If you have used listening prayer in the past, we would love to hear how God spoke to you. Please share with us in the comments below.

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This is day 25 in the series about Hearing God. To read the other posts in this series, click the links below.

Day 1: Take Off Your Sandals
Day 2:  God in the Grocery Store
Day 3:  God in the Grocery Store - Part2
Day 4:  Peeking During Prayer
Day 5:  How Do We Know God's Voice?
Day 6:  A Young Mom, Toddler Toys and Hearing God
Day 7:  Hearing God When Making Decisions
Day 8:  Lining Up Those Ducks
Day 9:   Hearing God for Our Kids
Day 10: God or Genie in a Bottle?
Day 11: The Perfect Day to Hear God
Day 12: Hearing God in a Crisis
Day 13:  7 Ways to Test an Impression
Day 14:  Remote Assignment
Day 15:  God's Silence
Day 16:  Hearing God While Dating
Day 17:  Hearing God Bible Verses
Day 18:  What Others Say About Hearing God
Day 19:  Hearing God Through Distractions
Day 20:  Hearing God as a Child
Day 21:  Hearing God in Confusion
Day 22:  Hearing God's Encouraging Voice
Day 23:  Hearing God on a Tractor
Day 24:  An Email Confirmation
Day 25:
Day 26:  Why Hear God?
Day 27:  Are You Texting God?
Day 28:  Hearing God in Our Depression
Day 29:
Day 30: Desperate to Hear God
Day 31: Desperate to Hear God (Part 2)

An Email Confirmation

We expect when we order something online that we will receive an email confirmation of our purchase. God is in the business of confirmation as well.

My friend Tom shared this story:

“A few years ago I was reading an article about the booming housing market in Canada. After I finished I began to think about my friends Eileen and Brian. Around that time, they had chosen to retire on Prince Edward Island but had kept a home in Toronto. The thought came that if they were ever going to sell the house in Toronto, this would be the time. The impression was strong enough that I searched through my e-mail address book, found an address, and wrote a short note suggesting they think about selling the house while the market was so good. I hit send on the e-mail and essentially forgot about it.

A few days later I got a note back from Eileen telling me they had been discussing selling the house the day before and my note was a confirmation to what they thought the Lord was already saying to them. They put the house on the market and it sold within a couple of weeks. The Canadian market is currently way down from when they sold.

I think the Lord likes to speak to us firsthand about a decision and then confirm it through others. It is also especially helpful if the confirmation comes from someone who does not know about our need or has not heard all our pros and cons that we have been weighing in our head.

The Lord wants us to make right decisions even more than we do, so He is willing to speak through impressions in our spirit, or through His word and then confirm it through others or through circumstances. Our part is to ask and expect answers.”

God is not playing hide and seek with us. He wants us to know His will and follow Him. In this post about the 5 M's of Correctly Hearing God, one of Priscilla Shirer’s points when learning how to hear God is to ‘Expect the mercy of confirmation.’ It is okay to ask God in prayer to confirm what we think we heard. This is especially important when making a major decision.

Usually, we receive an impression about something God is inviting us to do. (i.e. Feed the poor. Help the homeless. Love your neighbor. Share Jesus. Serve others.) Then, an opportunity presents itself (or God presents an opportunity). Sometimes the impression is so strong, and if we have been reading God’s Word and praying to know His will, we know right away what He wants us to do. Other times, we can pray for the Lord to confirm that impression. 

Henry Blackaby, in his book Experiencing God, says “God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the church (fellow believers) to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.”

In Tom’s story, his friends received the confirmation they needed to make a decision, because God impressed a fellow believer and friend to send them a message.

Don’t you love it when God does that? Isn’t it great to receive confirmation to we know God wants us to move in a certain direction? Can you share a time when you received confirmation from the Lord?

This is day 24 of the write31days.com writing challenge. To read the others in this series click the topics below.

Day 1: Take Off Your Sandals
Day 2:  God in the Grocery Store
Day 3:  God in the Grocery Store - Part2
Day 4:  Peeking During Prayer
Day 5:  How Do We Know God's Voice?
Day 6:  A Young Mom, Toddler Toys and Hearing God
Day 7:  Hearing God When Making Decisions
Day 8:  Lining Up Those Ducks
Day 9:   Hearing God for Our Kids
Day 10: God or Genie in a Bottle?
Day 11: The Perfect Day to Hear God
Day 12: Hearing God in a Crisis
Day 13:  7 Ways to Test an Impression
Day 14:  Remote Assignment
Day 15:  God's Silence
Day 16:  Hearing God While Dating
Day 17:  Hearing God Bible Verses
Day 18:  What Others Say About Hearing God
Day 19:  Hearing God Through Distractions
Day 20:  Hearing God as a Child
Day 21:  Hearing God in Confusion
Day 22:  Hearing God's Encouraging Voice
Day 23:  Hearing God on a Tractor
Day 24:
Day 25:  Do You Really Want to Hear From God?
Day 26:  Why Hear God?
Day 27:  Are You Texting God?
Day 28:  Hearing God in Our Depression
Day 29:
Day 30:  Desperate to Hear God
Day 31:  Desperate to Hear God (Part 2)