Would God Speak to You?

“What were some of the most valuable things you instilled in your kids’ hearts?”  Kristy asked.

Her friend took a deep, contemplative breath.  Then smiled eagerly as she said:

“How to hear God’s voice.”

Kristy came home and told me this wise advice from her friend.  It’s unfortunately uncommon to have friends with adult kids who are following hard after Jesus. 

But that is the case with this family.  And we want to learn whatever we can to help our kids know and love God more fully.
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Don’t you? 

Beyond Right Answers and Practices

I was relieved, inspired – and convicted – when Kristy shared this with me.  It seemed so obvious.

And yet, teaching my kids how to hear God’s voice was not a part of our pattern. 

Sure, we read the Bible.  My kids had heard multiple versions of many kids’ Bibles read to them before they could speak. 

As a pastor’s kid, they were in church every Sunday from the time they were in utero!  They served and showed up to every church thing possible. 

They also grew up in a harsh, urban context.  Our kids regularly made sandwiches for the poor who dug through the garbage cans in the alley. 

And yet. 
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I can’t remember gathering our family together (or church, for that matter!) and leading everyone to be still in God’s presence and listen for His voice.  

More Than a Feeling
You can hear God’s voice.  Personally.  Intimately.  Regularly.  He longs for open, unguarded, honest, warm, loving conversations with you. 

If you’re willing, He won’t hold back.  He’s promised to speak. 

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”  (John 16:13)

The pages of Scripture are replete with a multitude of examples of God speaking to His people in a myriad of different ways. 

Often when they weren’t expecting it.  Like nearly every interaction Jesus had with people!

If God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, doesn’t it stand to reason that Jesus will still pursue people, through the Holy Spirit, in surprising and transforming ways? 

Does this mean that every “picture” someone sees or “impression” they have is from God? 

Of course not. 

People can mishear God.  Just like I can misunderstand anyone else in a conversation.  Or misinterpret the Bible. 

But our faith ought not to be in our ability to hear and understand.  But rather, as Jesus said in John 16, our confidence should be in the Holy Spirit’s ability to speak, lead, and teach.

God loves us too much to let us wander down wacky paths that will cause Him to miss out on enjoying the relationship He died to have with us. 

He WANTS to speak to us – because He wants to share His heart with us.  That’s the point.  He’s crazy, mad, head-over-heels in love with YOU! 
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The Holy Spirit won’t stop pursuing us.  He loves the core of who you are.  God wants to enjoy you fully.  

God Still Speaks
On February 3rd, I felt a strong impression from the Holy Spirit during my devotional time with God.  Almost like we were having a conversation. 

He said that He was bringing a life-changing ministry into my life.  I needed to prepare for it.  It would cause me to miss many opportunities.  And I would need to keep a close eye on the hearts of my family. 

I pushed back a bit. 

The Sunday before, we were praying with a group of friends.  They were praying about God’s calling on my life.

This made Kristy nervous.  She had been dismissed, minimized, and overlooked for many years as I chased my idols of ministry glory. 

So I said, “God, why would you do this now?  Can’t you see we’re not healed enough for this?”
To which I felt like God replied, “I know.  But you need to learn how to trust that I am your healing.

I’m greater than your pain and failures.  Expect a life-changing call soon.” 

I wrote this all down. 

I fully anticipated getting a call from a church or publisher.  Hopefully, requiring us to relocate to Denver. 

That’s not the call we received. 

Fostering Hope
The next day Kristy got a call.  The social worker asked if we could take on an emergency placement of three brothers.  4, 2, and 1 year old. 

Without hesitating, we said yes. 

God had already prepared us.  He told us – the day before – to expect a call that would change our lives.  It wasn’t the call I expected.  But we knew this was from God.

Now, in the following weeks, we have absolutely needed to know that God has called us into this season. 

This prophecy gave us even more confidence in what God has already clearly communicated in His Word.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:27

“I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don’t hide from relatives who need your help.” – Isaiah 58:7

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” – Matthew 25:40

There’s enough beauty in these verses to compel even the smallest seed of faith to leap into loving action. 

Becoming a foster family has been so incredibly, ridiculously, exceptionally – hard – that if we weren’t fully confident that God had called us to do this, I’m not sure we’d be able to persevere.
 
Fostering these children has cost us so much. 

Work.
Flexibility.
Finances.
Sleep.
Health.

In our own strength, we could not press on.  At least, not in a way that would cultivate humility instead of self-righteousness and pride. 

Anyone can do hard things if it strokes their ego enough. 

But I heard God speak again during one long stretch of another sleepless night.  I was holding a traumatized child who could not feel safe enough to sleep on his own.

Sitting on that chair, rocking back and forth, I heard God say, “Now I AM going to teach you what it means to be a pastor.” 
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I’m eager to share with you some of what God has shown me about His heart.  In time, by God’s grace, I’ll be able.

I want you to know God’s voice.  There’s nothing sweeter.  Nothing more settling.  Compelling.  Satisfying.  Intoxicating. 

More importantly, God wants you to know His voice.  He’s promised to teach you. 

“My sheep hear my voice and follow me.”

How confident would you be if you acted on the advice of the wisest person you knew? 

How settled would you feel if the strongest person you knew promised to protect you? 

How liberated would you feel if the person you loved most told you that they loved you enough to die for you?  That they were madly in love – with you?!

And if that’s who God is and how He feels about us, why wouldn’t He speak to us?

To your family?  Your kids? 

Our praying together can be more than sharing requests and saying thanks.  It can be more than us speaking at all. 

Our time praying together can be us waiting to hear God’s still, small, beautiful voice. 

Could there be any greater gift that you could give your kids than teaching them how to enjoy hearing God’s voice?   

You Can Hear God’s Voice
Are you concerned that God won’t or isn’t speaking to you?  Do you feel somehow “less than” because you don’t have the extravagant experiences others do? 

Do you wonder if you have done something, or maybe haven’t done enough things, for God to speak to you? 

Don’t worry.  God loves you.  You’re not deficient. 

In fact, feeling deficient is one of the prerequisites for being able to hear God. 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 5:3

God sees the smallest seed of faith you can muster.  The slightest flicker of desire you have for Him – He sees and He cherishes it!

If you would take one step toward God, He burst out of heaven’s gates like an Olympic sprinter to chase you down with grace and goodness.  
 
God sees the smallest seed of faith you can muster.  The slightest flicker of desire you have for Him – He sees and He cherishes it!

If you would take one step toward God, He would run out of heaven like an Olympic sprinter to chase you down with grace and goodness. 

Don’t get caught in the trap of comparing your relationship with God to someone else’s.  He loves You for whom He made you to be. 

Don’t fear that your past will push God away.  Jesus died to cover every sin.  If God would not spare His only Son – while we were sinners – why would He hold back now? 

All He wants from you – is you.  In your weakness.  Doubt.  Sickness.  Fear.  Hope.  Excitement.  Thriving.  He wants all of you. 

And He will speak.  So that when He calls you to lay down in green pastures, walk through paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake, or enjoy the table He prepared before you – you will know that He is with you. 

The God who is love, who is the source of everything you’ve ever desired – He loves loving you.  Just glance in His direction.  It will overwhelm His heart. 

God.
Will.
Speak.
To.
You. 
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When He does, your heart will know peace you did not know was possible.  And His joy will be complete.