Being Still

 God's voice... Do you know when he speaks to you? How do you know its him? Do you listen? Do you even hear him at all?

Over the past several months, I have heard myself asking these same questions. Does he really talk to us in an audible tone? Not that I have experienced yet, but that doesn't mean I haven't learned to recognize his voice in other places.

Through songs that I hear on the radio when I am having a bad day, which is seemlingly always the words that I need to hear to get me through.

Through other people who allow themselves to be a vessel for him when I am down he sends me encouragement. When I am needing to make a big decision that will affect everything, he always provides me with the advice I need to hear to make the right decision. 

Through butterflies and dragonflies he sends to me completely out of season.

Through leaves swirling around me, as God has them in a delicate ballet, twirling gracefully only for me. 

Through scripture, when I do take the time to dapple in his word, which I need to do more.

Through the sunshine just after a rainstorm. Through roses and other flowers, even with all of their flaws they are seemingly still perfection.

His voice is evident to me through his guidance, always guiding me to where I need to be, always bringing me to the "place" I need to be - emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.

What can I do to better hear his voice?  While I was blogging today, I ran across this website that has four keys to hearing God's voice that I thought I would share:

Key #1 God's voice in your heart often sounds like a flow of spontaneous thoughts.

Key #2 Become still so you can sense God's flow of thoughts and emotions within.

Key #3 As you pray, fix the eyes of your heart upon Jesus, seeing in the Spirit the dreams and visions of Almighty God.

Key #4 Journaling, the writing out of your prayers and God's answers, brings great freedom in hearing God's voice.

Having read these keys above, I came up with my own version:

1. Be willing to listen

2. Realize God's presence can be transmitted through just about anything

3. Notice the beauty in the simple gifts he gives us every day

4. Be still - Be still to notice him, be still to listen to him, be still to experience him.

I am learning that you have to have a relationship with God and that praying to God and talking to God are two different things. When you pray, you tell him your trouble, what you need, and what your heart yearnes for. When you talk to God, you tell him what you need and then you listen and wait for a reply. Patience has never been my virtue, but I'm learning the hard way that a "virtue" is exactly what it is.

virtue is a positive trait or quality subjectively deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting collective and individual greatness.