After numerous Bible studies, thousands of sermons, and countless prayers for discernment I've finally learned how to know when God is speaking to me. Yes, get ready, I know that you too have been seeking this wisdom. Here it comes: When a thought, plan, or idea comes to my mind and I think 'That is the craziest, most impossible...' I know. I know that it must be God.
I've experienced this phenomenon several times in my life. I wish I could say that I experienced fire from heaven, a burning bush, or a run in with some wool. But, that's just never how it happened for me. You see, my normal plan of action is A. Pray about what to do. B. Explain to God several of the options I've carefully considered, researched, and planned. C. Ask Him which one He prefers. D. Sit back and wait for a sign from heaven. This makes perfectly logical sense to me. But see, that is the problem.
Let me tell you what really happens. I pray. I have several options that to me make wonderful sense and would be a delightful solution to the situation. I even pride myself that I have several options to offer, because let's face it, we all like to have options, right? Well, my friend, that's exactly where God always rocks my world.
Speaking of rocking, this brings to my mind both a Bible story and a popular 70's hit song. I know, only my mind works that way. Whenever I am tempted to become totally disgusted with my lack of spiritual insight and weak in the knees faith, I find great comfort in the fact that Jesus' first, handpicked and one on one taught disciples also had moments of weak faith and less than insightful solutions. One such time happened on a boat.
"Now when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" The he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"
