God's Voice

God’s Voice

There are three times I could hear God talk to me.  Today at church the pastor was talking about the importance of prayer and having an intimate relationship with God.  The pastor hit home with me when he said it’s a conversation, just like with a friend or a loved one.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, He knows all of your imperfections and still wants to pursue a relationship with you. I know this and I needed to be reminded of it.  The pastor said it's about praying and listening. As the pastor prayed at the end of service, I started thinking about when I have heard God clearly speak to me, and felt the strong urge to share my stories.  

The first time was when I longed to find a church that would deepen my relationship with God.  I would drive out to Jordan Creek and drive past Lutheran Church of Hope.  I was always curious and one day I drove by and heard “come visit.”  My sister had just gotten back from Hazelden and also was longing for a deeper spiritual relationship.  I asked her to come with me, she said yes, and we both fell in love with the message Pastor Mike delivered.  There are times I am better at my relationship with God, it depends on my fears or poor choices, I get lost in He would love me less because sometimes I’m not a good person.  Lutheran Church of Hope reminds me He loves all of me and my imperfections, and by amazing grace I am saved.

The third time was two years ago my work place was in some turmoil, and my unit was in need of a manger/educator.  l was in a meeting and thought who would be crazy enough to step up and take that position on, and as I was sitting there God said, “Melissa it’s time, you need to step up.”  I wanted to help make my unit better, and thought okay God I will take on this challenge. I interviewed and at the time shared the position with two amazing women.  There have been times when I have wanted to throw my hands in the air and yell I quit.  I have wanted to take the easy route and step down, but every time I try to do just that He manages to bring me back into focus and gives me the patience and energy to keep going.  I could go deeper into that story but I will save it for another blog post.

The second time, yes I purposely went out of order, is one I have not shared with a lot of people.  I believe only two or three people have heard it.  The reason I feel compelled to share it now is because it was an important moment for me and if I’m blogging about God’s voice than I cannot dismiss it. I’m protective of this story and the man who shares it with me.  I was in a relationship with a man that didn’t start on a solid foundation.  We fell for each other quickly and it was intense.  One night we were standing in my kitchen, and it was at a point where he knew he was moving too quickly and wanted to slow down.  In my heart I knew it was the right thing to do but I didn’t want to loose him so I had a moment of panic in my head and thought, oh God what should I do? That’s when He said, “just love him.”  As simple as that, “just love him,” I love how God is direct and to the point.  Although the relationship ended and I know it was never meant to work out, I am confident in the love I gave this man, and I still love him from a distance.  I love him and myself enough to let him go.  There are times when I get angry and/or sad about certain things, but there are many lessons I learned from that relationship and from him.  He always listen to my voice and I always felt I could be myself with him. I think and pray for him often, that he knows he is worthy of being loved.  So at the times when I want to be angry, I think about Martin Luther King Jr’s famous quote, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” And more importantly I think of God’s voice saying, “just love him.”

These are three stories of when I can say I heard God, I'm sure there are other times He has tried to talk to me, but I didn't hear it.  I continue to work on my relationship with God and listening to Him too.

Photo Credit: Sparrow & Bean Studios