He's Always Talking To Us – Job 33:14-15

14 For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. 
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds...
– Job 33:14-15

He's Always Talking To Us
Sometimes I wish God would speak  to all of us like He did to Abraham or Moses – it would sure make life a lot easier to understand.  He might say, "Richard, I want you to get up and go to such-and-such a place . . . and while you are on your way, I will tell you all that's going to happen.  How great would that be?!  Or like the time I lost my job, it would have been great to hear God say, "Richard, don't worry, I have a much better job already lined up for you.  I want you to take a month long vacation and while you draw unemployment, just lay your hands on your checkbook, and the funds to pay all your bills will be available to you."

While that would be awesome, I'm sure that soon I would take advantage of the situation and because I know myself so well, I would take God for granted.  Besides, He does talk to us.  He just isn't so obvious about what He is saying.  He wants us to learn to hear His voice.  And He speaks to us all in different ways so that we can each have that very special Father/child relationship, and we can grow to trust Him with every aspect of our lives.  The problem is that sometimes we're just not very good listeners.

I am of the firm belief that there are times when God sends warnings our way when we are about to go through something "bad" in our lives.  He does it through dreams, or things we hear other people say, or even thoughts that come into our own heads – we just have to learn how to recognize that it's God.  The Bible tells us that God speaks to us in several different ways, but we don't perceive it.  It doesn't say that we don't hear it, or that we don't feel it, we just don't know that it's God doing it.

So what's the solution?  Well the obvious and first thing we should do is pray!  And don't just rattle off your I Want It list – take the time to be still so that God can speak to you.   At first, this was especially difficult for me to do because once my eyes are closed I can fall asleep in 2 seconds, but with practice it became not only easy, but a fruitful and special time with God.

The other way to start hearing God speak is to take an active role in your life.  Don't allow life to just happen to you.  Evaluate everything.  If you have a strange dream, ask God what it means.  If someone you trust says something to you that causes you to cock your head to one side (you know, like puppies do if they hear a strange sound), then pray about it – meditate on it – and ask someone else what they think about it.  Don't just dismiss it.  It could be that God is trying to get your attention.  If you are in your car and all of a sudden you have a strange feeling or a strange thought, pray about it. Ask God to clarify things – you might just be able to avoid some rough times ahead if you do.

God is trying to tells us things all the time.  We just have to take the time to learn to listen.  I know I do - how about you?

Prayer
Father, thank You for always talking to me.  I'm sorry that I'm not a very good listener but I want to change that.  Help me to be mindful of those dreams or thoughts or strange and interesting conversations so that I can seek Your wisdom and clarification.  I want to know what You are saying so that I can draw closer to You and find out the mysteries of my life.  I also want to be able to hear when You need me to minister to someone who needs to know more about You.  Thank You Lord.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard