listen for His voice

Today in the One Year Bible, we read from Song of Songs 5:1-8:14. In 5:5, we read, "I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling."

Yes, Song of Songs is literally about love between a man and his wife. But it's also a metaphor. It represents the love between us and God. And this is a good example of that.

God is listening to our prayers. But He's also speaking to us every day. He does this through many ways. One is through our conscience. Another is through the Bible. Yet another is through the wise counsel of friends, especially when you start hearing repetition or a theme from one friend to the next. "You're such a good listener! You should be a counselor!" If you hear that enough times, it might be God tapping you on the shoulder. He also speaks to us through the poor.

But one way He speaks to us that we don't always do a great job of listening for is when He just puts an impression in your mind. Maybe you're saying your daily prayers and suddenly, out of nowhere, you think of a high school classmate that you haven't spoken to or even thought about in years. Is that God putting that person in your mind so you'll pray for them? Probably.

One day about 20 years ago, I was out cutting brush at a camp where I used to work with two good friends. Through a freaky accident, one of my friends accidentally cut my wrist with his machete. I was rushed to the hospital and they did reconstructive surgery, saving my hand and its function. You can't even tell by looking at it today. But what's interesting is that God told my dad that something was wrong. He told him that he needed to get in the car and come to the camp where I was working. This was such an unusual thing to "hear", that dad didn't do it at first. But eventually the prompting was so strong that he did, and he got to the camp just in time to see me being whisked off to the hospital. 

People who don't know God very well are fond of asking, "There are horrible things that happen to people every day. Where was God when THAT happened?" Well, I can tell you. He's right there with those who are suffering. And He's telling those who are listening that they need to help.

Will you listen?

God, thanks for speaking to our hearts. Help us listen.