What would God say?

There are folks who seem to hear God all the time. Their conversations are peppered with "God told me..." and "I asked God about such and such and He said....". I admire their intimacy...and their confidence.

I'm not one of those folks. I don't regularly experience the certainty of God's voice in those terms. Even though I am conversing with Him all through the day, most of His answers come to me through His written Word. Sometimes in a nudge of conviction. Other times in a nugget of instruction or guidance. And I'm good with that. Those times are just as much His voice as the audible manifestation displayed to Old Testament characters like Adam and Jonah and Moses.

But every once in a while, I hear Him. Really hear Him. Unmistakably. Unforgettably. Maybe not a shout but a definitive whisper. Inside. Clearly His and not my own. How do I know? Well, I just know. Like hearing a roar in the forest - even though I've never encountered a lion in the wild before, if I heard one, I would know. And I know His voice.

Probably my most favorite whisper from God came in church one day. My pastor was teaching us about hearing from God, how to listen to Him. I don't recall all that he taught us that day but this part was unforgettable. At the end of his message, he asked us to sit quietly. To still our hearts and minds. And to ask God what He wanted to say to us. He said we might need direction on a particular issue. Wisdom for a decision. Whatever. He just told us to ask Him. And then be quiet and listen.

So I did.

I was in need of guidance on some concerns. Had some things that needed His input. I also knew some gunk was probably in my heart and expected Him to help me sort through that.

I waited.

Know what He said?

Clear as a bell. Definitive. Powerful.

He said, "Suzanne, I love you."

Maybe you were expecting something more sophisticated. Complicated. Maybe you don't consider that profound. But I am certain that I heard those words that day (and many other times!) and I am convinced that those words are the deepest need of my soul...and yours.

With the Apostle Paul, I say:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19

Maybe that's what God wants to say to you today, too.