Hearing God...

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” John 10.26 NIV

Last night as I was tucking Sam in, he asked me how I know when God is talking to me.  Good question! While I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers, here’s the one that came to mind.

During our 12-month engagement, I lived in North Georgia, while Russ was stationed half-way around the globe in Korea.  An entire year went by without us seeing each other face to face!  Now keep in mind, this was 1992 …  and Al Gore’s internet was still in the developmental stage.  No e-mail, no Skype, no IM, no i-chat.  The high tech savvy lawyer I worked for at the time was the only person I knew with a “mobile” phone, and it was the size of a brick!  So, Russ and I did what couples had done for decades before us … we wrote letters. Lots of letters. There was, however, the occasional phone call … which always made me anxious.  Russ was able to call so seldom that I often stressed over whether I would even recognize his voice.  As it turned out, my fears were unfounded. Not once did I fail to identify his voice over the crackling phone line.  Every time he called, I immediately knew it was Russ.  How?  Simple. You see, I was a young woman in love … I still am (in love, that is … young, not so much). We had committed to spend the rest of our lives together, so in a sense, I belonged to him. Consequently, I always had Russ on my mind and in my heart.  I was either thinking of him or writing to him or telling someone about him.  He had become so integrated into my life that I was always looking forward, always expecting, always longing to hear his voice.  So I did.  I believe my relationship with Jesus is much the same.  I have given Him my life, so I belong to Him.  I long to hear His voice so desperately that I train my heart to listen well.  The more I have come to know Him through His Word, the more time I have spent in prayer, the more I have obeyed Him, the easier it has become to recognize His voice.