I am passionate about hearing God and for others to learn his voice, too. God lead me to some wonderful ladies through the Allume Conference, who are brave and bold and willing to share their story of how they have come to hear the voice of God through this series.
It is not a list of "how tos" or of verses on hearing God or things of the sort. Just an honest, open discussion of their journey to the place where they know God's voice. Praying you are encouraged through their story and steps of faith.
“I’m supposed to write a piece about hearing God’s voice for a lady I met at the Allume conference,” I mentioned to my mom as we walked up the hill near my grandfather’s house. The cool air chilled my ears and tingled my nose, a great cover for the tears that threatened as doubt clouded my mind.
“I used to think it was easy to hear God’s voice. But these past months He’s been so quiet,” I continued. “Life has moved so fast, the decisions have been so tough and I’ve struggled to clearly hear what He is saying.”
“I think that’s exactly what you write,” my mom answered, turning to look at me.
For a while it seemed I heard the Lord’s voice everywhere – on morning jogs, in the stream that followed my path, the yield sign, the sunrise, the morning dew on the grass, and even in the shower. I felt His whispers of truth spoken to my heart in the everyday parables of life.
He very clearly led my husband to Kenya for three years in a row before He spoke that it was my turn to join him. He called us to go there during the great Ebola scare on the West Africa coast. Everyone thought we were crazy, but we heard Him say, “Go.”
He spoke and provided funds for our family of five to travel back there in May of last year. Then He clearly called us home and to say Good-bye to our church friends as they packed up on the mission trip without us. His Words were so clear. But after that, things got quiet.
I would jog and look for His message to me in the sunrise or hidden on the road that I traveled. Yet I only heard the pounding of my feet mixed with the singing of the birds.
I took long showers, waiting for the gently whisper in heart, the sweet breath of my Savior.
I would sense a few things. Nothing stood out to me in bold letters as it used to. I would pray, “Lord, is that you? Or just my thoughts.” I was never really sure.
In my journal I expressed my hurts, confessed my inabilities and asked for Him to fill my voids and direct my steps, even in the quiet. In November, our family had to make two of the toughest and weightiest decisions I think we’ve ever made. Decisions that affected our whole family, either way we decided. There were no best case scenarios. It’s like we needed to make a prize winning book shelf out of scrap wood and make-shift hammers. We just decided to do what seemed best.
There was no booming voice of God telling us “walk this way.” The only “word” I got was to trust that He carries my burdens - daily. He promises to be with me wherever I go.
I prayed I would see His footprints guiding my path. I can’t say that His footprints were clearly visible in the decision making process. But as we’ve walked out those decisions, I now see the footprints. I see the bricks that He laid months before to allow me to walk easier down this road He quietly called me to.
God is so real. He is real when the water is clear and things make perfect sense, and He is real when the room is dark and lonely and I don’t know what to do.
He is real. And I am thankful for even the quiet times.
Julie loves preparing her family’s favorite foods in the kitchen, reading compelling stories in the living room and admiring God’s sunrises every morning over the fields. She and her husband live in East Texas and own their own business, Southwest Metal Systems where they get the privilege to construct people’s dream houses, business and horse barns. She finds joy in life’s simple illustrations and writes about them on her blog, juliesteck.com, guest posts at beyondthenook.com or for their business at Ameristall.
