HOW DOES GOD GET THROUGH TO YOU?

HOW DOES GOD GET THROUGH TO YOU?

 

Does God have an easy or hard time getting your attention? What is his best method of reaching you? Did you know that God longs for you to hear him, that he’s not trying to keep his will a secret? He’s able to use whatever method of communication fits your personality on any given day. What if you harnessed all the energy you have spent saying, “I don’t know what God wants me to do,” into one incredible, extended experience of sitting quietly before the Lord and asking him to reveal his thoughts to you?

 

WILL YOU TAKE GOD’S CALL?

 

How does God reach you? Is it through his Word, by affirmation to you from a mature Christian, or with vivid impressions?

 

Is it through your times of silence with the car radio turned off, in a small group women’s study, while you are praying and fasting, or as you are journaling? Do you hear him during volunteer assignments or when you witness a crisis of someone worse off than yourself? Do you hear him during your pain or through a spiritual mentor you highly respect? Has it taken a near-death experience for you to hear him? Do you need to stop the endless chatter in your mind to hear God today? Kali Schnieders, former Miss Missouri-World (who once lost a beauty pageant competition to TV’s Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter!), has uncovered some helpful hints about hearing God.

 

KALI SCHNIEDERS KNOWS TO BE QUIET

 

Kali retired from a sixteen-year career in the corporate world to raise her stepdaughter, but a series of personal losses prompted her to use those experiences to encourage others.

 

Now Kali loves to help people smile in the midst of their trials, taste God’s grace, and find his best in their worst situations.

 

Her book, Truffles From Heaven: Discovering the Sweet Gift of Grace, catapulted her from a beauty contestant into a popular conference and retreat speaker. She has also written You’re Not My Mom! Confessions of a Formerly “Wicked” Stepmother.

 

How does God get through to Kali? She says that she is grateful that he speaks to her all day long in a variety of ways: through Scripture that applies to her situation, through nature that prompts her to stop and thank him as Creator, through other people who encourage her exactly when she needs it, and through the miracle of answered prayers. Kali sees evidence of God in the ordinary things that many people write off as coincidence. To her, every encounter (whether pleasant or not) can be used by God to draw us to him for love and comfort.

 

She shares, “I’ve discovered that God is continually speaking, but many people either don’t really expect to hear him or they allow the cares of life to distract them from listening. God said, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ Unless we are willing to be still, we’ll miss what he has to tell us. Sometimes I have to remind myself, ‘Don’t just do something—sit there!’”

 

How Does God Get Through to You? Noah Listened to and Heard from God

 

Noah listened closely to God and was instructed how to prepare for a flood by building a massive ark. Noah obediently spent 120 years building that ark, even though it’s likely he had never before seen rain! Read Genesis 6:1–22. Imagine these words said of you: _________ listens to God, obeys him, and finds favor in his eyes. How would that make you feel?

 

SCRIPTURE TO PONDER

 

God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. (Hebrews 4:12, MSG)

 

SUGGESTED PRAYER

 

Dear Lord God, I, _________, understand that you mean what you say and that what you say goes. Your powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying me open to listen and obey. Today I admit that I long to hear from you on a daily basis—in fact, on a minute-by-minute basis—in each of my decisions, projects, and relationships. I invite you to talk to me. I want to hear from you. I promise to practice being quiet and to listen ever so carefully.

 

So . . . What Insight, Prayer, or Action Step Has God Laid on Your Heart Today?