“The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.”
Psalm 29:2-3
I think I hear the Lord when he tries to connect with me. Sometimes. I imagine someday God will show me all the times he tried, and I didn’t bother listening. For example, I am very guilty of praying for something but totally neglecting to thank God when he answers. This realization strikes me to the core.
There are other times that I couldn’t mistake his intentions. One particularly difficult time stands out. I was alone and desperate. I was reading my bible and pleading to God, and he answered me. I heard a voice – loud and clear – as if it was spoken right in my face. It was firm. Seven words. Boom.
It startled me. I immediately understood what it meant, but it startled me, nonetheless. I don’t think it was an audible voice in that another person would have heard it, but it was the type of voice that would have echoed in an otherwise silent room. It was that real.
I know in my core that it was God speaking directly to me. Why? Because he answered in a way that was totally outside of my thinking. It was definitely an affirmative answer to my prayer, but in a way that I didn’t envision let alone hope for. Then there was the immediate sense of peace that overwhelmed me. There was also a clear sense of what I must do next as well as what I must NOT do next.
I was convinced that I had heard from God. Even so, I told a couple of close, Godly friends, and they agreed that the instructions were in line with scripture. So, I ran with it. In the end, it all proved to be God.
Another time was actually quite humorous. I was a new believer, out for my morning run. Less than a half mile out, I found a tractor-type lawn sprinkler that ran off the yard over the curb. It had been stuck there for hours, leaning to the side, with the sprinkler arms twirling in the same place. There was a river of water flowing down the gutter for 100 yards straight into the storm sewer.
I thought to myself how careless that dude was, then I had this overwhelming sense that I was supposed to put the tractor back on track. I really did not want to do that because I would get totally soaked. Besides, I had new shoes and had just started my run, so I kept going. That sense got so strong, that I had to turn back. I was trying to justify not doing it, but I knew that God was simply making me. And, he was.
Here’s the funny part. As I approached the tractor, I knew I was going to get soaked. At the very last inch, in the last fraction of a second, the tractor tilted just a smidge so that the arm stopped and sprayed away from me. I was already in motion, no turning back, so the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I watched the whole thing!
I tell you what, anyone would have thought I had lost my mind because I broke out in laughter! Loud and long! It was hilarious how God had played me in this. It was also wonderful to know how much he loved me to show me in such a way that I could understand what he was telling me.
What was he telling me? To be his caretaker. You see, I started to pick up garbage on my runs. It’s amazing how much there is, even in clean towns. It took me a little longer to run my loop, but that was OK. I wasn’t just running. I was on a mission.
Father, thank you for your voice. Amen.
Copyright © 2019 Scott Powers
Photo by Kal Visuals on Unsplash