Voices...

We awoke this morning to postcard picture of a winter wonderland outside of our windows.  The snow was floating down in large fluffy puffs and there was a thin layer of white on the lawn, trees and shrubbery.  It came as a surprise to me as my last minute check on the weather before I turned the lights out last night forecasted a cloudy but warmer day today.  After a few moments of concern due to an early afternoon doctor’s appointment I had made for today, I decided to simply trust the Lord and follow His leading.  When I stepped out front and checked on the parking area, it became clear to me that pushing Piper in her chair through the accumulated snow was not in the plans for today.  So I rescheduled my appointment for next week.

This area tends to be a lot like the Tulsa area when it snows… they shut down just about everything!  When I checked one of the local TV station websites soon after I got up, there were about 250 closures listed.  A couple hours later there were over 530.  Today’s snowfall is different from last week’s storm.  Last time it was a mixture of sleet and snow while today’s is the gentle drifting down of big white flakes which tends to bring up the traditional memories of Christmas or cozying up to a warm fire in the fireplace in the midst of a mid-western winter.  So, even though we don’t have a fireplace, I think that we will still stay warm and cozy in the house and watch the relaxing scenes playing outside our windows!

There was a point though, at the beginning of last weekend when I became aware that I was not too cozy.  I had been praying over a large project that we have been planning on under taking when I suddenly realized that I had absolutely no peace about it!  This may sound a little funny, but that realization of no peace gave me instant peace.  Huh? You say?  Well, let me explain…

Proverbs 3:5-6 in The Message Bible encourages us to “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.  Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”  My revelation over the weekend reminded me of the fact that God’s voice can be heard in many different venues or ways.  One of the major ways that He tends to speak to my wife and I is through peace… either the presence or lack of it!

I believe the lack of peace that I realized on Saturday was Him telling us to put the brakes on any further progression of this project… at least for the time being, until He instructs us differently.  The frustration and apprehension I was feeling was the same as if the Lord Himself was standing in front of me having a verbal conversation with me!  Within the blinking of an eye, I had received the answer to the questions I had been asking Him.  It would seem that some of the things that I had shared with you in the blog last week came back to haunt me!

Remember when I mentioned how Colossians 3:15 instructs us to “let the peace of God rule in your hearts?” (MKJV)  When I received my revelation about my lack of peace, I felt like the Lord was saying: “Hey there, you’d best listen to what YOU said!”  And so I have!  Once again, it seems like our blog is not just for you, but for me as well!  Funny how the Lord works sometimes isn’t it!

As I continued to study about the voice of the Lord today I saw that we not only can hear the Lord’s voice through many different channels and ways, but also as much from what He doesn’t say!  The sudden realization of my lack of peace came just as strongly to me as Him speaking audibly to me. 

You may not have the opportunity to sit quietly in your home today as the snow falls outside and effectively shuts down your city, but you can make the opportunity to find a quiet place and LISTEN to what you hear… and maybe more importantly… to what you’re NOT hearing from the Lord this day!  Is there a pronounced silence of peace in you?  If so… what do you think that HE is trying to show you through it?  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What VOICE are you expecting to hear… or NOT hear today?”