Our heavenly Father communicated with His Son in various ways when He was on earth in the flesh, and Jesus heard and understood, no matter the method used. Did it end with Jesus? Consider it this way: does a good father communicate with his beloved children? Certainly, he does, and, even more certainly, our Father does! My own experience in hearing and understanding God on a personal level has varied. I have yet to hear His voice audibly. Many times, I simply have a sense of His guidance – a knowing – that I’m to do a certain thing. Every now and then, however, I hear Him clearly, in my spirit, in such an obvious way that there is no doubt He spoke. A case in point:
Recently, my son and daughter-in-law wanted to visit a potential rental home near us they had viewed online. We investigated together and all agreed it was not their future home. Until this time, I wasn’t aware they were even considering this area, so had not been on the lookout for available properties. That’s why I was surprised, as we approached the final left turn for home on our return, that I heard a clear direction in my spirit, “Turn right.” Yet I said nothing. When I heard the same direction again, however, I said it aloud just in time for my son to change the direction of his turn, even while asking me, “Why?” Despite not knowing the answer, my excitement was growing. I only knew Holy Spirit was behind the direction, so I was eager to see where He was leading us. Two turns later, we arrived at their perfect home for this season – complete with a For Rent sign in front! Holy Spirit, the perfect realtor, knew exactly what they needed and when they needed it.
As exciting as their move is for us, the lesson Daddy shared with me a few days later, as I reflected again on His obvious “voice” in my spirit at that moment, is even greater. Hearing Him in that moment changed the course of events for all of us. I like hearing Him so clearly. Even though it might lead into unknown territory, when I know so certainly it is my Lord, the fear factor leaves and the anticipation factor takes over. So I asked Him to help me hear like that all the time. Surprisingly, His quick and gentle response to me was, You don’t need to hear in that way all the time. In that short sentence, volumes were spoken.
Most of my days are quite ordinary. I brush my teeth, cook, eat, clean, work, walk the dog, buy groceries, do laundry, etc. Daddy doesn’t need to tell me specifically to do these ordinary things; yet, I am on His path for me when I do them. Even on our trip to the house, He didn’t tell us every turn to make as we came back from what we thought was our intended target. We already knew how to get back without getting lost. Only when an out-of-the-ordinary turn was needed did He make Himself heard.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
He shall direct your paths. It’s a promise – without specifically telling how. It doesn’t say He will always speak with an audible voice, with a voice I can hear as words in my spirit, with a general sense that this is His path, or in any other way I may have known Him to direct in the past. The guarantee is simply His direction. My part is to trust Him to know the best way to give me direction at any given time. What a relief this can be, if I will remain here.
No, I don’t need to hear Him so clearly during those ordinary times. But I can trust Him all the time, expecting Him to give me direction just when I need it – no matter how long since an out-of-the-ordinary moment occurred. It’s up to the Lord, not me. In that, the burden is removed – the one that says I must be missing Him, or that I must have done something wrong. Daddy knows exactly where I am and what I am doing because He is right here with me. I know He will continue to lead and guide me, without fail. It’s His promise to me. It’s His promise to you, too!
