It amazes me
just how quickly God communicates with us, and it amazes me how many
different ways He comes up with just so He can
reach us. The way God communicates with His children is…fulfilling. Because when
He speaks to you, even though you can’t hear His voice audibly, you know
when it is
Him…You just know
that God is
speaking to you. It’s that kind of moment where you look up and say, “I know
that was you, God.”
The other evening I was brainstorming ideas as to what I
should write for my next article, so I whipped out my Bible and began reading. I
was flipping through the pages, waiting for God to give me a verse or
parable that was proper to write about. A couple hours went by, and I was
just..stuck. I saw a couple verses that I was interested in basing an article
off of, such as Ephesians 31-32, and a select few from Proverbs, but I just had
so many thoughts running through my head. I was confused.
I went from the book of Joshua, to Psalms, to Isaiah, to
Ephesians, to Revelation…and nothing was drawing me. So I said, “God. Tomorrow
morning, when I wake up…just guide me how you want me. You take control of this,
and send me a sign as to what you want me to share.” And I left it at
that.
Each morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is pray.
Once I pray, I get ready for the day and I check my social networking (Have a
bit of a phone problem). As I was searching through Facebook,
Ephesians 4:31-32, popped up first thing. I move on next to twitter…Ephesians
4:31-32 is probably the 2nd or 3rd verse I see. Next up is Instapray, and
Ephesians 4:31-32 is the first verse on my feed. I saw this verse about 4 times
in a 10 minute time period, and I just thought to myself, “Yes, God, I can hear
you.”
“All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from
you, along with all wickedness. And be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving one another, just as God also forgave your in Christ.”(Ephesians
4:31-32)
When I read this verse 4 times, I could hear God loud
and clear. He was answering my prayer. But, then He put an idea on me. He
said to me, “Haley, I didn’t show you this verse over and over because I wanted
you to discuss the verse. I showed you the verse repeatedly because I want to
show you that I am listening to you…and when I answer you, I will make sure
you know it’s me. Don’t worry about unanswered prayers, because your prayers
will never go unanswered when you have faith in me.”
“Therefore I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for-believe that
you have received them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24)
When He put this on my mind, it made perfect sense
to me. The way He communicates with us is so different and complex, that it is
almost unexplainable. And when I say how He communicates, I mean those
instances where sometimes He doesn’t answer for a week, sometimes a day,
sometimes He talks to you through your friends, maybe through social media,
maybe through music…anything.
But the moral of the story? What is the purpose of me
telling you a story that you’ll most likely forget about in a year? It’s because
God wanted me to give you a lesson you’d never forget: God hears you.
Patience and prayer go together. Trust Him and His timing. And when He does
answer you, when you realize it’s Him, get excited. He’s showing you that He is
jumping with joy to be working in your life.”
When I was stressing out about what to do with my
article, it eventually hit me that I can’t fix it myself. The best I could do is
pray about it and trust Him.
Think about it this way: God is talking to you!!! He hears
you! Every. Single. Time. He wants to be active in your life and help you
along.
We’ve all had those times where we feel stuck. We feel
like our prayer life isn’t going anywhere, and we feel like God is taking some
time off from participating in our lives. But lets just face it: Satan does
anything and everything he can to make sure that our communication with The Lord
is weak. He does everything he can to draw you farther and farther apart from
God.
But, don’t let the devil deceive you and make you feel
like God isn’t there, because He is always there. He is with you from the minute
you wake up in the morning to the second your head hits the pillow at night.
He’s listening. He hears you. He’s watching you…and He cares.
“Now this is the confidence we have before Him: whenever we ask anything
according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)
So, girls, remember that God will never leave your prayers
unanswered. He’s not sitting up in heaven when your prayers go up, saying,
“Welp. There’s another prayer.” Nope. He gets up and says, “Yes!! Another way to
make her life better! Another way to talk to my child…” When you are frustrated
in life and in a situation where you feel like you don’t know what to do, talk
to God. His ears are open. And right as you reach out to Him, He will reach
right back.
He is there. Just give him all of you. His
responses and mannerisms are totally worth it. Surrender yourself to God. Be
patient while you wait for His answer. And always remember that He is
listening.
He can hear you. Here are some verses to comfort
you if you’re feeling like you aren’t being heard:
“I cry aloud to the Lord, and He answers me from His Holy mountain.”
(Psalm 3:4)
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their
cry for help.” (Psalm 34:15)
"
But
I call to God, and the Lord will save me. I complain and groan morning, noon,
and night, and He hears my voice.” (Psalm 55:16-17)
“Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show
you compassion, for the Lord is a just God. Happy are all who wait patiently for
Him. For you people will live on Zion in Jerusalem and will never cry again. He
will show favor to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears, He will answer
you.” (Isaiah 30:18-19)