Will God Speak, Even to Me?
Updated: May 5, 2021
I’d had nightmares about it, but in 25 years, it hadn’t happened. Until it did. My oldest son and I were sitting in my physical-therapist-and-also-my-friend’s office for an evaluation of his ankle. As she’s asking him about his injury and evaluating his range of motion and other medical-y things that make my eyes glaze over, I rubbed my finger over the top of my engagement ring. Instant adrenaline shot through me as my finger recognized a hole where my diamond should be.
My friend saw my panic before I even looked down. My heart racing, I slowly raised my hand to examine and confirm what my fingers had discovered: My diamond was missing.
The diamond, worn by my husband’s grandmother, had been safely nestled under those four prongs for more than 80 years. I was flooded with emotion, unable to even think. When could it have fallen out? Where had I been that day? It was icy and snowy — if it had fallen outside, how would we ever find it?
My friend jumped from her stool, examined the empty ring with me, and then immediately dropped to the ground, looking on the floor below me. As my mind retraced all of my comings and goings that day, my friend exclaimed, “It’s here! It’s here! Here’s your diamond!”
Despair turned to relief and disbelief, then joy. And then, deep gratitude, for I knew that God was in even this little detail of an heirloom that had fallen from its safe perch. I don’t doubt for one single second that He prompted me to run my finger over that ring right after the diamond fell out. He knew it was loose and He meant to protect it.
Even this was important to God. I felt His love for even me.
For much of my life, I looked for those sorts of gestures from God as signs that He was active, engaged, involved in my little world. I watched for God’s hand in my decisions and circumstances and saw Him in the big things, like getting into graduate school or landing the job I’d hoped for. I felt secure in living my faith by open or closed doors.
While I accepted and expected that He’d work through "bigger" acts of love for me, like finding diamonds, I didn't know He would meet me in those just as important, quieter ways, like whispering to my heart. I didn’t hear God’s voice, but I knew others did, so in my mind, that was for the super-spiritual people who were more important, more studied, more holy than I. He must not speak to someone like me.
That limit I placed on Him kept me from knowing Him deeper. I didn’t know His heart or His ways or His character. I didn’t understand how He’d meet me even more, in my small moments, if only I’d invite Him into them.
My husband and I learned it the hard way, how to invite Him in, and that’s a different story for another time. But in tripping over our not-enoughness, we faced how much we needed Him. We finally understood how He meets even us in the small, behind-closed-doors, desperate moments.
Sure, for most of my life, I knew Him enough to trust Him in the big moments. But when I took the time to really know Him in the small moments, I discovered that I could also hear Him in the small ways.
Truly getting to know Him moved my heart toward knowing that yes, He will speak, even to me.
“…when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice,” (John 10:4).
This post is the second in a series describing five different postures to hear God louder. This second posture of belief, that we know God still speaks to us, is a building block for knowing Him deeper and hearing Him louder. To know more about drawing closer to Him, watch for the posts on the remaining postures.
The five postures:
1 | Seek: I believe that when I seek Him, I will find Him.
2 | Know: I know that God still speaks to us.
3 | Expect: I expect that I will hear Him.
4 | Listen: I commit to creating time and space to listen for His voice.
5 | Connect: I believe that when I listen for Him, I will connect with Him.
If you are interested in spending more time learning about these five postures, I've compiled a FREE five-day devotional and guided journal called, "Closer: Five Days to Hearing God Louder." Subscribe here to receive a link to your FREE copy -- and you'll also receive notifications of future posts.
Read the other posts in this series:
Seek: If I Seek God, Will I Really Find Him?
For Reflection
Posture Two | Know: I know that God still speaks and that He will speak to me.
Promises:
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
“To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” (John 10:3-4)
Prayerful Practice:
In prayer, tell God that you know He will speak to you.
There is power in our words. Speaking this truth is a step of faith and trust.
Look up the promises above. Read what comes before and after each verse.
Read through John 10: 1-30, writing down your thoughts and questions as you read.
Have a conversation with God about what you read and be honest with God about your thoughts in knowing God will speak to you.
Ponder:
Do you believe that He still speaks to His sheep today?
Do you believe that you are worthy of His love and attention?
Do you believe that He will speak to you?
Look up Psalm 139:17-18 for further contemplation. How does focusing on His love for and thoughts of you help you connect with Him?
To read more about meeting with God and seeking Him:
Five Ways to Combat Christian Complacency
Discerning the Voice of God: A Journey of Discovering that He Speaks
Photo credit: Yaoqi LAI, Unsplash.