Monday Morning Memo: A Stuck Ram

I have been reading the book, “How To Quiet A Hurricane – Strategies For Christian Endurance In The Midst Of Life’s Storms” by Justin Kendrick.  If you feel like your life is currently in the middle of a hurricane…I highly recommend this book.

 

The author pointed something out that I had never thought of before, concerning my favorite story in the Bible.  He was talking about Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on the altar.  I have shared with you before that this story is my favorite because after God tells Abraham that he is to sacrifice his son, scripture tells us that “the next morning”, Abraham sets out with Isaac to fulfill God’s instructions.  No arguing.  No trying to “deal” with God.  No whining and complaining.  No…Abraham immediately obeyed His God.  That’s the kind of obedience I want to have in my life.  But if I’m honest…I’m a long way from having that level of complete surrender.

 

So that is probably why the Lord spoke to me last week when I read about another aspect of this story which I had never thought of.  The author of this book talked about the ram in the story.  Kendrick shared, “Just as Abraham raised the knife to take the life of his son, God intervened and told him to stop.  Abraham had passed the test.  At that very moment, he looked up and saw a ram caught in the nearby thicket.  He then sacrificed the ram in place of his son.”

 

I’ve read about this part of the story many times, but I had never thought about one intriguing detail which the author pointed out.  It is the fact that Abraham didn’t see the ram until he had lifted the knife to sacrifice his son.  A ram is a full-grown male sheep.  Smaller rams weigh about 120 pounds, while larger rams can weigh over 500 pounds.  This is not a small animal, and it would not have been quiet if it were stuck in a nearby bush.

 

The author wrote, “Have you ever seen an animal trapped in a thornbush, struggling to get out?  I recently saw a video of a horse stuck in mud.  It thrashed and neighed and flailed its body all over the place.  It makes no sense that Abraham wouldn’t have been aware of this animal while he was tying Isaac to the altar.  But he didn’t see or hear the ram because God’s provision isn’t fully seen until we are tested, and we surrender.”  OUCH.

 

There’s that word that makes me squirm sometimes…surrender.  I’ve shared with you before that I tend to be a control freak…so the thought of complete surrender to someone else’s directions – even if their God’s – can be difficult for me.  I tend to want to bargain with Him.  I want to only meet Him halfway so that I can still keep some control.  But as was pointed out in this book, “We trust God with half our hearts while we cling to our false notions of control.  We might experience glimpses of God’s provision, but we don’t see radical miracles because the ram only becomes visible once we’ve surrendered what we love most.”  Once again…OUCH.

 

Ever since I read this last week, I’ve been wondering what miracles I haven’t seen fulfilled, because God was waiting for me to surrender.  You see, I want to see the ram BEFORE I completely surrender.  I want to see my “way out” of a situation, BEFORE I give Him complete control.

 

But that’s not how God usually operates.  He wants us to trust Him enough to give everything to Him, without seeing the end result first.  Will it be easy?  I can only answer for myself and for me…it won’t be easy.  Will it be worth it?  Oh yes…I believe it will be worth it.  Because my goal is to have my story read:  “And the Lord told LuAnn to ________...and the next morning she obeyed.  No arguing.  No trying to “deal” with God.  No whining and complaining!

 

“God, your God, is testing you to find out if you totally love him with everything you have in you. You are to follow only God, your God, hold him in deep reverence, keep his commandments, listen obediently to what he says, serve him—hold on to him for dear life!”

Deuteronomy 13:3-4 The Message

Monday Morning Memo: SO Much Joy!

I’m sure you’ve heard that old adage that “opposites attract” when it comes to couples.  I’ve seen that as true with lots of relationships I’ve observed…but overall, this was not true with Dan and me.  I would not say we are opposites, since many aspects of our personality are quite similar.

 

We are both driven people, who can be perfectionists.  My grandma had a saying, “When a job has begun, never leave it til it’s done.  Whether it be great or small, do it well or not at all”.  Yep, we both tend to agree with this statement.  This can be a good trait to have…and sometimes it can be a curse…because we can drive other people nuts since we can expect others to have the same desires.

 

One area of our lives that was  a complete opposite when we met, was the areas we lived in growing up.  Dan was raised in the country, where his parents had a huge garden and grew most of their own food.  I, on the other hand, always lived in town, even spending my jr. high and high school days in a suburb of Los Angeles.  Trust me, that’s about as far from country living as you can get!

 

So, when we became engaged and needed to start looking for a home…there wasn’t a discussion on whether we would live in town or in the country.  Dan made it very clear that he couldn’t live with another home right next door.  It wasn’t going to happen.    I was fine with venturing out of town…but I had no clue what I was in for…but it wasn’t because Dan didn’t pre-warn me ahead of time.

 

Let me explain.  We bought our home several months before our wedding and Dan moved into the house.  One evening, I took my parents over to show them our purchase and we were walking around outside.  I saw a weed in one of the flower beds and so I bent over to very carefully pull it out…because heaven forbid I would get any dirt under my fingernails.  Yes, I wanted the weed out…but messing up my manicured nails wasn’t in the plan.

 

But Dan had other ideas.  He quietly came up behind me, grabbed both of my hands and plunged them deep in the dirt.  He then said, “LuAnn, you might as well get used to it from the beginning.”  I’m not sure who laughed harder at that point…Dan or my mom…because my mom never thought she would see my hands in dirt.  Let’s just say…Dan was fortunate that I was in love with him 

 

As the years went by, my mom continued to be amazed as she observed me gardening, using a pressure canner and learning to operate a garden tractor.  These were all things that I thought I could never master.  I also remember pulling into their driveway one day in our pickup truck and my mom met me at the door laughing.  I asked her what was so funny, and she said she just never thought she would see the day where I would be driving a truck.  I guess miracles really do happen.

 

Do you know what the biggest miracle was in all of this?  I learned to love having my hands in dirt!  Not only do I love gardening, I also discovered I enjoy canning and cooking and baking.  I was fortunate to have a wonderful mother-in-law, who I affectionately called “Betty Crocker”. She patiently taught me all the ins and outs of living and thriving in the kitchen and in the country.  

 

You are probably wondering where in the world I am going with all of this.  Well, I was thinking about all this the other day and the thought came to me, “What would have happened if I would have stuck to what I was familiar with and not attempted things that were so foreign to me?”  Besides probably having a lot more stress in our marriage…I would have missed out on a way of living that brings me SO much joy.  I honestly can’t imagine not having all these things in my life.

 

So, I want to ask you…is there something that God has put in your path which you are just sure you can’t do?  I want to urge you to give it a try.  Take a step forward in accomplishing something towards that goal.  I’m guessing if God has brought it to you…it just might be something that will eventually give you so much joy.  Our world is full of so many opportunities to help us grow and develop into the person He intends us to be…and I believe you have much more potential than you can even imagine.  Trust me…if I can have dirt under all my fingernails and enjoy it…there are things you can learn to do that today seems impossible!

Monday Morning Memo: Social Pressures

Honestly, I don’t remember if I laughed out loud, shook my head or rolled my eyes.  Knowing me…I probably did all three.

 

I was watching a YouTube video of a couple who are “influencers”.  You know what I’m talking about.  A couple who makes a living by sharing their day to day lives on social media.  I often wonder why in the world I waste any moments of my day watching stuff like this…and after what I heard on this particular video…I really thought I had lost my marbles perusing the internet.

 

The wife of this couple had a birthday coming up and so her husband said he wanted to do a “little” something special for her.  He said he had decided to plan a quick trip somewhere as a surprise…just the two of them…no kids allowed.  She had no idea where they were going until they got to the airport and he broke the news to her that their quick, “little” trip was to Europe.  Yes, their thought that Europe would be considered something small made me shake my head…but her response is what really made me do all three things I mentioned earlier.  She said something to the effect of, “Oh, I’ve wanted to go there for my entire life!”  Why did that make me respond in the way I did?  She was only turning 25 on her birthday.  

 

I’m sorry…but having to wait until the ripe old age of 25 to be able to go to Europe…just doesn’t seem that long to me.  Maybe she had a fascination with Europe as a very young child and so it seemed like an eternity.  I will try and give her the benefit of the doubt.

 

Watching this video made me so thankful that we did not have to deal with social media when we were raising our family.  Why?  Because I can’t imagine the pressure that is felt by young families to keep up with the “Jones’s” in our present society.  For most young families in their 20’s, going to Europe for a little getaway wouldn’t be at all possible.  Feeding their family and paying their bills is taking every penny they have and even an evening out for dinner without the kids can be impossible.

 

I can’t imagine the pressure and strain that social media puts on young families.  I’ve heard young wives share how they sure wish they could afford to go on trips.  They wish they could go on fun, extravagant excursions for Spring break, Fall break and Christmas break.  They see perfect, well-staged family pictures plastered on social media of those who are making those kinds of expeditions…and it can easily make them feel “less” or a failure as a parent. 

 

Please hear me on this…I’m not saying that couples and families shouldn’t go on vacations if it is in their budget…but my heart goes out to those who feel the pressure to try and keep up with those who do.  I want them to know that their children will be just fine if their break from school is spent in the same city they live in.  Their psyche won’t be traumatized…they will be just fine.  Having a secure, stable family life is much more important in their development than being able to travel the world.  

 

When we were raising our family, we owned a business that kept us from travelling during breaks from school and I remember at times feeling guilty.  The kids would talk about their friends going here and there and I would wonder what all my kids were missing out on.  To add to the equation…not only could our kids not be gone during those breaks…they had to work for our business on some of their days off!  But do you know what?  They came through those years just fine.  All three of our kids grew up to be responsible, wonderful human beings and I never hear them say how much better their life would be if they just would have been able to travel more as a child.  

 

If I can share some advice.  Love your spouse.  Love your children.  Create a safe haven in your home for everyone to thrive and grow in.  Don’t dwell on what you can’t do or have…instead, dwell on the blessings you have been given.  If you feel the pressure building on your shoulders…you may want to stay off social media.  Will you make mistakes as parents?  Yep, you will.  We made lots of mistakes and I wish I could go back and undo some of the things we did.  But as I said, God was so faithful in shielding our children from experiencing long lasting ill effects from our errors and what a joy it is to now watch them with their families. 

 

So, if your life today doesn’t look like the influencers on social media…please don’t dwell on that. You may be surprised to know their lives probably aren’t as perfect as they seem.  Remember, most of them don’t share all the bad days with their audience…they just publish the highlights.  If envy and jealousy is affecting your days after watching their reels…please turn them off.  Again, focus on the blessings God has given you and trust Him to give you what you need.  And then remember that your kids will be just fine if they have a staycation for their next break 

^“Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

The Message 

Monday Morning Memo: Willing to Obey

I shared with you recently that I started milling my own wheat in January and it was one of the best decisions I have made.  I thoroughly enjoy the entire process.  There is something very therapeutic to me to start with wheat berries and in just a short time, I turn it into healthy flour.  I then use that flour to make our bread, rolls etc.

 

So, when I began praying a few weeks ago that the Lord would direct me to a new ministry which I can do during this time of health detours, the making of bread came to mind.  Every time I have prayed, I have felt Him saying that He is going to use this new found venture for His glory.  I still don’t have all the details yet of His plan…but I’m trusting Him to lead me every step of the way.  I’ve asked Him to just give me whatever feelings I need, to know how I am to proceed.

 

But of course, that means I have to be listening and then willing to obey   I woke up this past Wednesday morning, and I felt the Lord directing me to make four loaves of bread that day…one for each couple in our small group.  We were meeting that evening, so the timing would be perfect.  I wish I could tell you that I immediately said YES…but I didn’t and I’m not even sure why…other than I thought my plans were more important for that day.  So, I proposed a compromise, telling Him I would do it in two weeks, when our small group meets the next time.

 

I then sat down for my morning devotions and read the scripture for that day.  Nothing really jumped off the page at me, so I figured He was ok with me procrastinating on the bread-making.  Then, I picked up a book I’m reading on prayer, and it wasn’t long until I laughed out loud.  Can you guess what story was in my reading that day?  Yep, it talked about Elijah being in Zarephath and encountering a widow.  She was gathering sticks to prepare a final meal for herself and her son, demonstrating the desperate situation they were in.  The writer in the book pointed out that Elijah didn’t tell the widow to pray; he told her to bake a loaf of bread with her last batch of dough.  In other words…he asked her to take action…just like the Lord was telling me to take action too.  The time was now to obey.

 

I went to work making the loaves of bread that morning and for the first time since January…none of the loaves turned out.  I’ve had failures in my journey to learn how to make bread with fresh milled flour (trust me, it is different than using flour from the grocery store)…but I had never had four loaves all fail at the same time.  By then it was 12:45 pm, and because the particular recipe I had used took five different kinds of grain…I knew I didn’t have time to remake them before we had to leave for our group.

 

But yet, I still felt the Lord asking me how willing I was to follow His plan.  I took a few moments to regroup…and I soon realized if I used a different recipe that took less time to prepare, I could get all four loaves done before evening.  And that’s exactly what I did.

 

Fast forward 24 hours later, and we attended a fundraising banquet which had a silent auction as part of the evening.  I had not checked out any of the items before going, so we walked over to peruse the tables to see if there was anything of which we wanted to bid.  About halfway through, there was a beautiful basket with three kitchen towels, two loaves of sourdough bread, three bagels and the item which just thrilled me to pieces…the book I have pictured today.  To someone who loves to bake bread, a book entitled, “Big Book of Bread” filled with 464 pages of recipes, along with tips and tricks for making the best bread…was like a treasure.  I immediately put my bid in…thinking there was no way I would get it for that amount…but I had to try. 

 

Much to my surprise…I got the basket!  I was so happy.  To be honest, I couldn’t help but picture the Lord smiling down on me…blessing me with this unexpected “gift”.  And, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe this happened because of my obedience 24 hours earlier in making the loaves of bread. 

 

It also made me wonder how many blessings I miss out on, because I’m not willing to obey.  I often think my plans are more important than His and so I ignore His leading or procrastinate and compromise and then never get around to doing what He asks.  Did He have blessings that He wanted to give me that I never saw…because I wasn’t willing to obey?  I may never know this side of heaven…

 

I still have no clue how the Lord wants to use my love for baking bread as a ministry…but I do know that He is willing to patiently lead me one step at a time.  I know I need to be willing to obey the smaller tasks that He asks of me…before He will fill me in with the bigger details.  Hopefully I will be listening…and then wholeheartedly willing to obey.

 

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ 

and not do what I tell you?”

Luke 6:46

Monday Morning Memo: Wow...What a Ride!

Forty-four years.  At times, it seems like just yesterday…but at other times, it’s hard to remember a time when we weren’t married.  Yes, this past Friday, my husband and I celebrated 16,060 days of being Mr. & Mrs.

 

We have had some really good times over the years.  Times of laughter…times of finishing each other’s sentences because we know each other so well…times when just a look is all that is needed to convey what we are thinking.  

 

We have been so very blessed with three amazing children, their wonderful spouses and of course, our phenomenal eight grandchildren.  We can attest to the fact that being a grandma and grandpa has been one of God’s greatest gifts to us. 

 

Like all couples, when we shared our vows back on that beautiful fall day, we had no idea what all was in store for us.  We committed to stay together in the good times and the bad…the times of wealth and the lean times…and in sickness and in health.  Each of us meant those words with every part of our being…but we had no way of really knowing to what extent we would be tested in any of those areas.  But I do remember Dan telling me from the beginning…the word “divorce” would not be in our vocabulary.  Our commitment wasn’t just to each other, but also to the God that we served.

 

We ended up being tested in every area…but especially in the “sickness” part of our vows.  I have been plagued with medical problems most of our marriage…which often made it hard trying to raise children and run the business we owned.  I’m sure there were days when Dan wished he hadn’t made those promises to me on our wedding day…but he remained faithful…keeping his commitment to be by my side no matter the circumstances.

 

Today, we are in the stage of life that we looked forward to for years…retirement.  But unfortunately, it doesn’t look exactly like we had planned either.  We had hoped to spend these years doing some traveling, going on mission trips and of course, spending as much time as possible with our family.  While we have been able to do some of those things, my health has greatly diminished our capabilities.  While we know that God’s plan for us is always perfect, we have still had some difficult days accepting that His plan doesn’t always line up with what we envisioned.

 

I was thinking about all this recently and realizing how easy it is to focus on the negatives.  It’s so easy to dwell on all the “what-ifs” and “if-onlys” and spend our days just existing, instead of asking God to lead us to things we can do, even with our limitations.  The last few weeks I’ve been praying that He would do just that…give me a new ministry which I can do during this time of health restrictions.  So far, He has given me snippets of direction and I’m excited to see what His entire plan looks like.

Maybe your life hasn’t played out exactly how you envisioned it to be either.  Maybe the spouse you just knew God would bring you…never came.  Maybe you always thought you’d have children…but that never happened.  Maybe you were blessed with children…but they haven’t followed the path in life that you always thought they would.  Maybe you also had wonderful plans for retirement…but you find yourself alone…because your spouse entered heaven’s gates much too early.  Or maybe, like us, your health has taken front and center and greatly limited what you thought you would be doing.

There is a saying that I have shared before that says, “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming – Wow, what a ride!”  When I read this, it reminds me that God can still use us on our life journey, for HIS glory, no matter where we find ourselves.  God doesn’t dwell on our limitations…but on HIS power.  He doesn’t focus on our shortcomings…but on HIS capabilities…which are limitless.  I believe He wants us to serve Him to the fullest until we take our last breath on earth.  Because wouldn’t it be wonderful to someday stand before Him and have Him tell us, “You gave me your all.  You didn’t hold anything back and you were my faithful servant.  Wow, what a ride you had!”  

Monday Morning Memo: Show. Teach. Guide Part 2

We’ve been looking at two verses that are found in Psalm 25:4-5 which say,

 

“Show me the right path, O Lord; 

point out the road for me to follow.

Lead me by your truth and teach me, 

for you are the God who saves me.

All day long I put my hope in you.”

 

I shared last week that what I love about these verses is the fact that the words are so practical.  Show me, point out the road, lead me, teach me.  It’s not complicated to ask the Lord to help us know what to do and where to go.  But so often we make it complicated and then we become discouraged and frustrated.

So, I encouraged all of us who are looking for direction and leading from the Lord concerning a certain area of our life, to spend this past week praying fervently for Him to show us, teach us and guide us.  As we prayed, we were to write down any feelings that came to our mind.  Doing this helps us begin to figure out what the Lord wants us to do.  

It would be so much easier if the Lord would just call us up on the phone and lay out His plan for us…wouldn’t it?  But since that probably isn’t going to happen, we need to learn ways to hear His voice.

My dad was a minister, and he was pastoring a church in Indiana when I was in 5th grade.  He was contacted by a church in California to be their pastor and I remember my dad immediately saying NO…he was not moving his family across the country.  Then he said, “God would have to write it in the sky for me to go there”.  Well, it wasn’t long, and we were packed up and moving to Los Angeles…and none of us ever saw that handwriting in the sky.  I guess the Lord must have used something other than sky writing to change my Dad’s feelings about moving, so he would go where the Lord wanted him to go.

I know that in my life, I have sometimes prayed for direction and then said, “Lord, open the doors I’m supposed to go through…and slam shut the ones I’m not supposed to go through.”  And sometimes that works.  But we know that sometimes discernment is needed as to whether we should walk through a door or not.  Paul showed that in 2 Corinthians 2:12-13 when he said:

 

“When I came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord opened a door of opportunity for me. But I had no peace of mind because my dear brother Titus hadn’t yet arrived with a report from you. So I said good-bye and went on to Macedonia to find him.”

In this situation, the Lord opened a door…but Paul didn’t have peace about going through it...so he didn’t.

Sometimes we try fleeces.  I have been known to throw out a fleece at times to get direction.  Lord, if you do such and such…I’ll know I’m supposed to move forward.  Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t…just like when my dad wanted writing in the sky.  Sometimes I think I use a fleece because I already know what the Lord wants me to do, but I really don’t want to do it.  So, I figure throwing out a fleece will be a distraction and I won’t have to obey...at least for now.

Again, I think we often make it much more difficult than it really is to know what God wants us to do and where He wants us to go.  The scripture I shared earlier, 2 Corinthian 2, said it. God opened a door, Paul had no peace of mind, so he left. He based his decision not in circumstances, but the feeling he had, which I have no doubt was fueled by prayer.

If we look how the Lord spoke to the apostles in the New Testament, we see how many times they acted by how they felt.  They spent time in prayer and that was so crucial in directing their feelings and consequently then their actions.  Maybe they used logic, maybe common sense.  It seems that the apostles prayed, and then did what they felt was best.

So, I’m writing all this to make this point…if you are wanting direction from the Lord today…make sure you aren’t making it more difficult than it really is.  First of all, make sure you are spending time in prayer.  If you aren’t communicating with the Lord…you will never know what you are supposed to do.  Look at it this way.  If you never spend any time talking with your spouse or your children, or even your friends…how are you ever going to know anything about them?  There is no way you will know what is going on in their mind and heart if you don’t spend quality and quantity time with them.

And the same is true with the Lord.  If you don’t spend time with Him…you never will have any idea of what you are supposed to do.  Be sincere. Commit your life to Him. Tell Him you’ll do whatever He wants. And don’t make prayer as the last resort…make it your first plan of action.   

And then…the feelings that you get when you pray and those things that you wrote down this past week, act on them, believing that it’s God’s plan for you.  Trust Him enough to give you the feelings you need to act.  Take a step.  If it doesn’t work out…it usually isn’t the end of the world and more often than not…mistakes show us more of what we need to know to go in another direction.  

Show me, teach me, guide me.  He just wants us to ask and I believe He will give us direction through our thoughts and feelings…if we have fervently spent time in prayer.

Let’s begin by going to the one who designed us. Because I believe if we do, we will soon find ourselves at peace with the Lord and functioning as He planned.

Quick health update – Thank you SO much for your prayers. I have shared that there is a brand-new medicine available for my lung disease…but the cost is $88,000 a year.  Well, because we serve an amazing God…this past week I was approved for the medicine and had it in my hands within 48 hours…for free.  I didn’t have to pay anything!  I was so blown away.  It definitely won’t be a quick fix…they say it takes 4-5 months to see any improvement.  But since we serve the Great Physician…we are praying I will see positive results sooner 

Monday Morning Memo: Show. Teach. Guide.

Last week, I shared with you two verses from Psalms that have meant so much to me this year. They are Psalm 25:4-5 which say:

 

“Show me the right path, O Lord; 

point out the road for me to follow.

Lead me by your truth and teach me, 

for you are the God who saves me.

All day long I put my hope in you.”

 

This past weekend, I was asked to share a devotional at a workshop for Operation Christmas Child and as I began to prepare…these verses kept coming to my mind.  I ended up speaking on them and I thought I would share with you today and next week what the Lord impressed on me.

What I love about these verses is the fact that the words are so practical.  Show me, point out the road, lead me, teach me.  It’s not complicated to ask the Lord to help us know what to do and where to go.  But so often we make it complicated and then we become discouraged and frustrated.

I read recently about a man by the name of Tim Quinn.  He said that he was stumped. His old Macintosh laptop simply would not run the Mac Bible software anymore. Though he had worked with it for hours, nothing he did would help. His wife suggested that he call the owners of the software for help, but no, he knew what he was doing.

Finally, after having exhausted every last idea, he gave in and called the Mac Bible corporation. After speaking to a friendly voice, he was assured that the person to whom he was being referred would know exactly what to do. Tim wasn’t convinced, but he called him anyway.

The name he had been given sounded familiar, and he soon learned why. The person on the other end of the line was none other than the man who wrote the Mac Bible software. He gave Tim a brief set of instructions, which he wrote down and hung up the phone. In minutes, Tim’s computer software program was up and running. He just had to go to the man who wrote the program.

Tim writes, “How many times in life do we try to work out our problems our own way? Finally, when all else has failed, we go to the one who designed us. Soon, if we obey, we find ourselves once again at peace with God and functioning as he planned.”

That is so true.  Many times, we use going to the Lord in prayer as our last resort.  After we have stewed and fretted and wrung our hands and studied everything we can get our hands on and asked every person we’ve encountered what we should do…we finally throw up our hands and say, “Well, I guess all we can do is pray!”  

Show me, teach me, guide me. These are the places we need to start when we need direction in our lives. As willing followers, we need and want God to show us what to do. We want God to teach us what is the best way to go. And we want God to guide us to where He wants us.

But then the question that usually arises is, “How do we hear from the Lord?”  Well, if we look back in the Old Testament, God spoke to Adam and Eve face to face.  He spoke to Moses through a burning bush. He spoke to Balaam through his donkey. He spoke to Elijah through a still small voice. He spoke to the people of Israel through a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. He spoke to Isaiah through a vision. He spoke to Gideon through a sign, 2 days in a row. He spoke to Belshazzar through handwriting on the wall. He spoke to Daniel through dreams. He spoke to Jacob through an angel. He spoke to David through the prophet Nathan.  

Unfortunately, we usually don’t 

see any of those things today.

But many times, the Bible simply says, “The Lord spoke to…” I’m not sure what that exactly means, but I picture a booming voice from heaven. 

Well, clearly, God doesn’t really do 

that so much now either, if at all.

We want the big, clear, unmistakable signs that God is speaking to us. We want the bush, the writing, the donkey, the fleece. But they were pretty much one-time things. The New Testament changed so much, including how God speaks.

Are you currently looking for direction and leading from the Lord concerning a certain area of your life?  If so, I want to encourage you to spend the next week praying fervently for Him to show you, teach you and guide you.  As you pray, write down any feelings that come to your mind.  If you feel Him leading you to do something in particular…write it down.  If your heart seems to dwell on a certain phrase or inspiration…write it down.  

Then next Monday, we will look at what our next steps should be after we’ve prayed…to obey Him as He’s taught us, showed us and guided us.  Trust me…it really isn’t as difficult as we often make it out to be!