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How do you know God has spoken?
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“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” —Lamentations 3:22–26
I just came home after a beautiful walk this morning. We were out just as the sun was beginning to rise. I took one look at the sky and the verse, “his mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23) floated through my mind.
One of the most frequent jobs of the Holy Spirit is to bring Scripture to our thoughts. Jesus told his disciples, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). When a Bible verse floats through your mind, it is likely Jesus speaking his message into your day.
God’s voice is one of my favorite things to write about, speak on, and teach from Scripture. We all need to develop a sensitivity to his voice so that he can “direct our paths.” When last did God speak into your life? That is not a rhetorical question. You should have an answer now, but if you don’t, please finish reading this article.
Jesus often whispers to us
Jesus talks to us all the time. I have often quoted Frederick Faber, an English theologian who said, “There is hardly ever a complete silence in our soul. God is whispering to us well-nigh incessantly. Whenever the sounds of the world die out in the soul, or sink low, then we hear these whisperings of God. He is always whispering to us, only we do not always hear because of the noise, hurry, and distraction which life causes as it rushes on.”
I’ve shared that quote so often with my readers that if you Google “well-nigh incessantly,” the first two things that pop up are my articles. Go AI!
That verse from Lamentations floated into my mind as I looked at the pinks, corals, blues, and purples of this morning’s sunrise, and I knew it was Jesus speaking. I have worked hard in my life to pray for discernment to recognize his voice.
The first step to discerning God’s voice is an understanding that he “is whispering to us well-nigh incessantly.” I looked at the beauty of a sunrise that only the Creator could provide and acknowledged the power of God. It was then the Spirit reminded me of the daily, never-ending mercies and blessings of God. I often call moments like that a “good morning hug” from my heavenly Father.
God speaks his thoughts into our thoughts
My husband and I “do ministry.” Maybe it is easier for us to run to God for help because our “calling” requires his direction. But I don’t want anyone to think that our “calling” has different requirements than anyone else’s. Every child of God has been called to serve him, and every Christian has a spiritual gift and calling for their life. Every Christian needs to develop discernment and a need for God’s voice of direction. Otherwise, we will live self-directed lives influenced by the culture and people around us. We all need to recognize God’s voice when he speaks directly into our lives.
God led my husband to start a ministry before we had ever heard of “AI.” Now, AI is regularly pulling up our articles. God always knows the future and directs our lives accordingly. What are you doing today because of God’s leadership decades ago? If you take some time to meditate about that answer with God, he will likely surprise you with the answers.
God wants you to know his plan for your life even more than you want to know it. In fact, God often wants to bless our lives in ways that don’t feel like blessings at the moment.
A personal story about the personal voice of God
My dad was struggling with dementia and physical pain at the end of his life. I had been begging God for his direction because my mom was declining rapidly, trying to take care of him. I wanted to help, but that didn’t give me permission to instruct their personal choices. It was becoming a significant challenge, and one day, my dad’s neck started to swell. Mom took him to the doctor, who ran tests. Later that day, the doctor called them back to her office.
I remember that day vividly. While my parents were at the doctor’s that morning, I finished writing the next year’s Bible study and joyfully hit “send” to deliver it for edits. Later, Mom called to tell me the doctor had called them back into the office, and I just knew I needed to take them. I was there when we found out Dad had lymphoma, and it was a terminal diagnosis.
Mom and I were stunned by the news, but watched and listened as my dad, who normally struggled to have a conversation by this point, began to speak with a clarity we had not heard in years. Dad told the doctor that he was a Christian and had lived a good life. He told her that heaven was his future. He told the doctor that he wanted to refuse the treatments that would make his life difficult because he knew they couldn’t save his life. He comforted the doctor, me, and most importantly, Mom.
I had to hurry back to the doctor’s office later that day because, in all the emotion, I had forgotten my iPad in her office. The doctor had instructed her staff to seat me in her office when I arrived. I waited for her, and when she entered the room and looked at me, she shook her head and said she had never seen anything like that. I was able to tell her that we had all witnessed the Holy Spirit take over that day.
She was a Christian and worked with older people in her practice. I was really sad but felt the Holy Spirit author my thoughts and words to her that day. I shared with her a lesson that someone had shared with me decades before: The Holy Spirit is never limited by dementia or any other illness. He is always perfectly whole within a Christian life. I’ve wondered if that brief conversation in her office had a larger purpose in her calling as a doctor. God’s plans often have a greater purpose than we can know.
I want you to depend on God’s voice
I doubt you are drawn to enjoy the book of Lamentations in your Bibles. It’s a tough read! But the riches of chapter 3 are so worth the effort. I want to close with a few of those verses today. The entire passage that God reminded me of this morning holds these promises: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:22–26).
God is so good to care for our souls. Seek him often each day.
God speaks
I started writing this morning with a very different article in mind than the words you just read. So, I close now knowing that God wanted to speak these thoughts into someone’s life today. If you are thinking right now, “This is what I needed today,” know that the Holy Spirit is responsible for your thoughts. God’s mercies are so good…and they are new mercies each day. His personal work in our lives is as unique as every sunrise.
Listen to your thoughts and learn to recognize his voice. God whispers to us “well nigh incessantly.” Don’t miss his voice and his morning hugs.
