There is a story in the Bible that helps me with my conversations with God. It is in
Exodus 33. I t is where Moses and God are having a conversation about being God’s people. It says,
God spoke with Moses face-to-face, as neighbors speak to one another. When he would return to the camp, his attendant, the young man Joshua, stayed—he didn’t leave the Tent. Moses said to God, “Look, you tell me, ‘Lead this people,’ but you don’t let me know whom you’re going to send with me. You tell me, ‘I know you well and you are special to me.’ If I am so special to you, let me in on your plans. That way, I will continue being special to you. Don’t forget, this is your people, your responsibility.” God said, “My presence will go with you. I’ll see the journey to the end.” Moses said, “If your presence doesn’t take the lead here, call this trip off right now. How else will it be known that you’re with me in this, with me and your people? Are you traveling with us or not? How else will we know that we’re special, I and your people, among all other people on this planet Earth?” God said to Moses, “All right. Just as you say; this also I will do, for I know you well and you are special to me. I know you by name.” Moses said, “Please. Let me see your Glory.” God said, “I will make my Goodness pass right in front of you; I’ll call out the name, God, right before you. I’ll treat well whomever I want to treat well and I’ll be kind to whomever I want to be kind.” God continued, “But you may not see my face. No one can see me and live.” God said, “Look, here is a place right beside me. Put yourself on this rock. When my Glory passes by, I’ll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I’ve passed by. Then I’ll take my hand away and you’ll see my back. But you won’t see my face.”
The Message: I think God enticed Moses to ask “show me your glory.”
Quite a few years ago I was obsessed with hearing God’s voice. Now that I look back I believe that God put that drive into me. I couldn’t let it go until I heard something. I struggled and even whined a little for quite a while. I was in a time of frustration. I was even thinking that something was wrong with me. It just wouldn’t go away until I heard something. It was all I could think about. Then one day out of the blue it happened. I was praying for my son and thanking God for Him and telling God how much I loved him, and God said, “Now you get an idea how much I love you.” At first I was shocked, then I cried. I was pretty happy. God finally answered my prayers. Then it started to come easier, but usually when I least expected it. Like one day I was just thanking God for something small and He said, “You can call me Father now.”
As time went on hearing becomes a little bit better. I would hear warnings of when to get out of situations. I knew when I was going to get fired before it happened. I knew that it would be okay, and I would be taken care of. So I became an independent contractor. He guided me into many different jobs. I listened to what jobs to take on and which ones not too. Even though some projects had difficulties, He provided wisdom. There was one job where I was going to trim out a person’s house. I couldn’t focus on it and I kept hearing, get out and don’t do the job. There was some kind of negative feeling about the whole thing. I had the feeling that being in a house with this single gal was not right. I spent some time in prayer before I took out all my tools. Hearing God speak about letting it go brought me some peace. So I told the lady I couldn’t do it and something better came along . Another time that really sticks out to me was when a co-worker called me and told me about her son’s friend committed suicide. She was concerned about what her son and the teen who took his life. She asked me to pray. I was driving at the time and was kind of shocked. So I turned to God and prayed. I was stuck with compassion and heard God say, ”I’ve got him.” So I called her back and told her what I heard. I drove another half mile and had to pull over. I was weeping like I have never had before. I did not know what was going on. I felt God’s love for this person. Once you get to know God’s voice, it becomes easier. Sure at times I miss the mark, and there is grace. It is also a part of the learning process. God is faithful and wants you to hear Him. It is all a part of the relationship.
There are many different ways that God communicates with me. Sometimes it is with a sense of humor. He does know how to make me laugh. He says the right things at the right time. One day I asked Him about my team going to the Super-bowl. The next year they were really bad. I asked God about it and He said, “you’re not dead yet are you?” Man I got a chuckle out of that. Other times He has spoken through a song, and not just worship songs either. I don’t think we can limit the way He speaks to us. We are all different individuals and have different likes. He knows what I like and what He can use to get through to me. Just as God knows how I am wired, it is important to know how He is wired to me. What I mean is, it is good to recognize how He relates to me. He may relate to you the same way, but you are unique and God knows how to be your friend.
It is simple to start chatting with God. You know He is listening. Just have a normal conversation with Him. You are important to Him and He cares. You don’t need a crisis all the time. Just tell Him your concerns and cares. Just talk, like you would with anyone else. Be expectant of a reply. You don’t have to pray some long winded, King James sort of prayer. Come boldly to the throne. He is a friend to me, and so much more. You hear better than you think you do. You belong to God, so you hear His voice.
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