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Listen while you read: "At Thy Feet Our God And Father"1 (Lyrics) |
1 Kings 19:11b-12 – And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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 a still small voice. (NKJV)
Many people may think that God could only manifest Himself directly in grand gestures like earthquakes or fire. There have been numerous pivotal times in my life when I have asked God for a sign. Several times, God has spoken directly to me. Once it was through the display of wildlife in such a specific way that the sign could only have come from God. Another time, a radio that was turned off, randomly came to life, playing a song that had special meaning to me. Then, there was the time when I was talking to God about why I felt distant from Him, and I heard Him say, "You are doing it wrong!" I would not be able to describe God's voice, but I heard Him as clearly as though I were on my phone. In watching sermons on television, I have also heard reports of viewers who were living apart from Christ. They were watching a television sermon and found that every channel contained the same sermon! As a result of their watching that sermon, their lives became miraculously converted.
Have you ever found yourself in a challenging situation, when suddenly the phone rings? A friend, whom you have not heard from in months is calling, just to say, "Hello" and "I love you." What about a chance encounter with a complete stranger who, in a moment, peers into your soul and delivers a message that you needed to hear? Does this sound familiar? You are reading the gospels, when suddenly the Bible slips out of your hand. When you glance down, the Bible is open to a verse in the Proverbs which you badly needed to hear. How about a dream that you had, in which there was a message either for you or someone close to you, that seems oddly like a telephone call from God?
Today, I was lamenting about a situation in which I deemed that I had been wronged. I had written a text to the individual. After receiving several messages saying, "This message cannot be sent," I figured out that God was asking me not to send the text. Then, I went out for a walk. I was trying to focus on the topic that I thought God wanted me to write about. I had my water bottle in my hand, and I continued to focus on this irritating issue. Suddenly, my water bottle jumped out of my hand and landed with a loud bang on the cement. That's weird, I thought, as I continued to stew. Hmm. What do You want me to write about, God? The water bottle process was repeated not once, not twice, not three times, but four times more. Now, I must point out that I do not have any issues that would randomly cause me to drop my water bottle. Finally, I heard God say, "Girl, let it go!" This devotional was born.
If you feel like you have never or not recently heard God's voice, I would challenge you to ask yourself, "Am I restricting God's voice, or am I listening for the still small voice that may come from unexpected and unconventional places?"
Prayer: Dear God of so many blessings, You talk to us in so many ways. How frustrated You must sometimes be with us when are unable or unwilling to recognize Your voice in unfamiliar people and places. Please help us, Lord, truly to search with our whole being for Your voice and direction in our lives. Amen.
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Amen Orlanda!
Thanks for sharing, Orlanda.
Good start to my day. Well written. Thank you.
Thank you, Orlanda, for this encouraging word.
Thanks Orlando, you always, give a great message to us.
Orlanda, Sometimes God’s ways seem so mysterious. Praising Him… anyway. Blessings.
Thank you for reminding us to let go of past wrongs.
Difficult, but necessary.
Oh yes! I have had so many experiences like that! When I ask a question, there is the answer right under my nose! Awesome GOD!!
Sometimes I wonder if I am imagining that God is speaking to me directly. This devotion clears that up for me. I never cease to be amazed at how God works in our lives!
Blessings to you.
Dear Orlando:
Thank you so much for your great devotional. I agree with you on all counts. The Lord not only works in unusual ways, but He speaks to us (to get our attention) in unusual ways. I find His ways gracious, funny, and downright amazing!
May our Great Lord bless you always.
A great devotional, Orlanda! I find that God talks to me through music, especially through songs on the radio! Or through an unexpected letter or a kind gesture from someone who addressed that what was on my heart.
God is so good!
Blessings.
Good morning Orlanda,
Thank you for this very personal devotional. To be honest I cannot say that I personally have heard God speak to me, but on many occasions I have had to make decisions. Some I made reluctantly, but later said, that was God talking to me. It was all in his plan.
Thank you for writing.
Love, love this message. I regularly get messages such as what you describe. They most certainly are not coincidences, but directly from God.
I am disappointed however that I have never heard God’s voice. I pray while walking in nature and listen for his voice. Someday.
I so enjoyed reading your devotional.
Blessings.
Greetings Orlanda,
I appreciated your devotional this morning. A good reminder of the importance of listening for God’s voice as we never know just when and how He chooses to get our attention. That falling water bottle was quite an experience for sure.
Blessings to you for sharing this writing.
(B.C.)
Dear Orlanda,
How blessed is someone who hears God’s voice!
I wonder why you should let the bottle go. I wonder if you still use it or if its broken.
I listen to God mostly through reading his word, the Bible, or listening to a minister or other person expound the scriptures of the Bible.
I pray for continued blessings for you and for those you associate with.
May God continue to bless you.
In Jesus name. AMEN.
Hello Orlanda
Thank you for this devotional. It is encouraging and so true. I find different ones say they do not hear the voice of God. I am surprised and I suggest that they do hear they may not realize it is God’s voice speaking in that way or using that means. I do hope this devotional of yours encourages the reader to expect to hear from their Father and to not put Him in a box.
God is so faithful and is always on time.
God bless.
Love your message, Orlanda. I can indeed relate.
Recently a similar situation occurred to me. Letting go, and letting God take control was essential.
A bible passage kept appearing and I knew I should pay attention.
Once I dealt with the (family) situation His way, all was healed.
Thank you for your message. We often need a few knocks on the head before we take notice, don’t we.
Blessings to you,
(Ontario)
Thank you for bringing this to people’s attention. I have indeed heard God’s still small voice, very quietly and softly, say “Behold I Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You”. Yes indeed, so clearly that there was no doubt in my mind that this message came from God, just when I sorely needed it. Yet I hear what you are saying too. I often get these little nudgings without the spoken word, and they can be just as clear as if I had heard His voice. Some people like to call these happenings “coincidences”, yet with God there are no coincidences, at least I do not believe there are. Often, they are in the form of someone who just happened to drop by unexpectedly. We need to listen not only with our ears, but eyes also. God Bless You.
(B.C.)
I love this – have had such experiences and need to be reminded of them.
What a blessing your message brings to me. I know I fail to hear His voice so many times. Hopefully this will serve to remind me to wait on Him!
Great reminder, Orlanda! Thank you and Blessings!
God works in mysterious ways! We just need eyes to see and ears to hear.