God walked this earth as a man. He can control earthquakes, thunderstorms, hurricanes and tidal waves. He has spoken out of the clouds, out of fire and with a booming voice from heaven.
But more often than not, he talks like a little girl.
Can you hear me now?
I have discovered lately that much of my one year old daughter’s babbling and utterances aren’t just noise. That she’s not just making sound in order to hear herself.
She’s been using words and speaking to me all along, and I just wasn’t tuned in to hear.
One of my biggest challenges as a follower of Jesus Christ, is hearing and recognizing the voice of God. It is difficult for me to find a quiet space to even hear His voice, let alone trust that it’s His voice I’m hearing.
“The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper…”
1 Kings 19:11-12
My daughter, Zoë
Zoe has been teaching me about that voice; about that gentle whisper.
She is teaching me that sometimes, “hearing” the voice is not enough. Sometimes I need to be immersed in the environment of the one speaking. I need to share in the context of the words, reflect on the personality of the speaker, compare what’s being said now with what I’ve heard before.
She is teaching me that it is ok to misinterpret and to misunderstand. That she will continue to speak until she gets her point across and we share in the understanding.
She is teaching me that to understand her voice right now, it takes focus, it takes my full presence in the moment. It takes faith that I’m hearing her correctly, and faith that things will still be ok if I’m wrong.
Whether or not you’re on the path laid out in the bible, how do you know you’re going the right way? What voice do you trust and how do you know you can trust it? What helps you hear more clearly?
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2 comments on "God Speaks Like a Little Girl"
1
Hi Mike..
Interesting analogy..
Sometimes it can be really difficult to understand what direction we are supposed to take with our lives – a good start is to drop our own preferences and start listening to God more
2
I totally agree. So hard to get out of my own way sometimes.
I think the other piece is just simple trust. Not being afraid to just start out in a particular direction. Feeling like I have to know the outcome before I start the endeavor.
I often miss God’s command to “Go” because I’m listening too hard for the how’s, why’s, the blueprint, the step-by-step instructions…