SHE gets closer

My lip-reading skills are subpar. That being said, I’m probably the worst person to have a conversation with from across the room. Our dialogue will pretty much be filled with “Huhs?” or “What did you says?” It’s bad. At this point, I’ve learned the best way for me to understand a person is to sit close to them. Depending on our level of friendship, I may even bring my ears closer to their mouth so I don’t miss a single word.

Hearing God’s voice at times can definitely feel like you’re trying to read His lips from across the room. Sometimes you’ll pick out a few words or phrases, but it’s hard to be 100% sure that that’s what He told you. Even when you decipher what He told you, it stills feels like you might have misinterpreted it somehow. Especially when what He told you does not match what you see.

“What does your quiet time look like?” Those words cut deep as a dear friend gently convicted me. I was sharing with her the anguish of believing that God had told me one thing, but everything around me said otherwise. I was once again stuck in a place where it was hard to hear God’s voice to guide me and I was just tired, frustrated, and quite frankly over it.

I was over asking God for clear direction only to feel like I was going around in circles. I was over reading His Word, expecting to stumble over a verse that spoke directly to my situation only to get an "unrelated" verse like…

“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in darkness.”

-1 John 2:9

I mean...I might have needed that last year, but right now I needed like 5 soul-speaking verses back to back AND an unexpected phone call from someone I haven’t spoken to in 2 years that just called to tell me that God wants me to know (*insert perfect thing to say*).

But friends, what I overlooked is that God is always speaking. That’s why He wants us to always abide in Him.

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

-John 15:5

When we constantly seek to hear His voice throughout the day through praise and worship, traditional quiet time in His Word, or just sharing our thoughts with Him throughout the day, we can be better in tune with what God is saying.

My problem was I was trying to hear God’s voice from a million miles away,while also trying to do my own thing. Instead it was not until I got close and intimate with my Father that I could hear the promises He wants to whisper in my ear in the midst of the noise and chaos that may be surrounding me. I have to constantly remind myself that my quiet time isn’t a ritual that is performed so I can check it off my list. It’s time that can be spent in a variety of ways so we can hear what God what’s to confirm or reaffirm in our lives.

If you feel like you’re far away from hearing God’s voice, try getting a little closer.

What are you struggling to get clear direction or an answer for?

Whats does your quiet time look like?