Listening for the Voice of God

'Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, 'Here I am!' and he ran to Eli. ...Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him."

1 Samuel 3: 4, 7.

"And he said, 'Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.'  And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke to pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.  And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire the sound of a low whisper."

1 Kings 19: 11-12

"By wise guidance you can wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory."

Proverbs 24: 6

I am a better doer than a listener.

I like to keep busy.  

I have a strange, but very human tendency to think that what I do is incredibly important. 

I love to goal set and labor toward my goals.  Life without a to do list lacks direction and purpose.

That being said, I have taken almost the last month to stop doing and to listen.  At first, I found it incredibly hard.  I think I am made for speed, and downshifting feels awkward.  Then it felt peaceful as my mind slowed down.  Then I got "glutened" and spent over 10 days with a sore stomach, headache, brain fog, and not ideas to process.  Was this also from the Lord?

How do we hear the "still small voice?"  How do we recognize when God is speaking and leading us? How do we differentiate God's leading voice from our own whims, preferences, and wants?

In our fallen world and with our fallen condition, I wish I had a concrete answer.  I wish for certainty, but all to often I am left with walking by faith and not sight.

How about you?

God speaks in a still small voice.  He often speaks through people.  They say the strangest and most pointed things.  As they speak, my conscience practically yells, "Pay attention!"  Then, another person will affirm the same idea.  I pray and ask God about it.  I get an idea in my head that I cannot let go.

At this point, I ask some friends and folks who know me to think about and give me their wisdom on what I am thinking.  Sometimes they give me wisdom, and sometimes they seem to point in opposite directions.  

Lord, what are you saying?

Most often, very slowly I come to a place of peace and decision.  I come to believe I have heard the voice of the Lord.

Now for the faith to act upon it!