A language of confirmation

I’ve always felt strangely uncomfortable when someone states, with bold presumption, that the Lord told them to do something, to go somewhere or to believe or not to believe something. My discomfort lies not with the fact that someone feels that the Lord has guided them somehow, but to say that the Lord ‘told me’ or ‘the Lord said’, implies that He communicated almost audibly, in no uncertain terms - the same way as we would to each other. It does not factor in that we are human, flawed and fallible and perhaps what we thought we heard, came from ourselves and not from God.

We know that the Lord spoke to a fortunate few who lived in Biblical times. Moses heard the voice of God coming from within a burning bush, Saul heard Him through a light on the road to Damascus. There are so many more examples.

I love the story of how God spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun. After Moses died, the Lord instructed him in no uncertain terms regarding the future of the Israelites. The Lord tells Joshua: ‘Be strong and of good courage…’ How beautiful, how powerful! 

I want to say that to my loved ones at the start of every new day - be strong, be courageous! Something a father or a mother would say to their children - with all else said to him regarding the tasks ahead, these words of encouragement, spoken by the Lord, must have been so comforting to Joshua.

I would be lying if I denied being envious of those who might have heard His voice, whether audibly as we would define it, or through nature (thunder, lightning, signs, wonders) for example. I can’t think of an adjective remotely fitting with which to describe how special that must have been. Humbling, incredible, mind-blowing - none of these come close! 

So how then, does the Lord speak to His people in the year 2019? I feel more comfortable saying that I sense the Lord is guiding me in a certain way rather than saying: ‘The Lord TOLD me’. Experiencing an inner conviction or identifying a message that one cannot ignore as it is repeated in your life again and again - that feels more real to me.

Awareness, confirmation, clarity, wisdom. This is the language I sense we are being taught.

I’d like to propose that this language can only be heard and understood if you truly have a prayerful desire to speak it. Step one would be to become open to it, in other words, become aware of what the ‘words’ could possibly look or sound like. I believe that each one of us hears the Lord in a unique way.

Once awareness has been raised, one can expect confirmation to come in various forms. Words or messages that are repeated often, sometimes daily or weekly, even yearly, form stories - become roadmaps. But beware, God’s timeline does not always correspond with ours and I’ve come to realise that His messages are often delivered in various chapters - teaching us patience and discernment as we wait.

The prize is actually grasping what is being communicated to you and that moment of clarity, when you GET it, brings with it the greatest gift - that of wisdom.

Can it be that we don’t hear an audible voice guiding us to wisdom anymore, as everything we need to know has already been said?  Wisdom has been penned in the pages between Genesis 1 and Revelation 22. We can choose to seek it there and confirmation, nudging, guidance will follow. Just as a good shepherd leads and guides his flock, heavenly shepherding is available to us, we can choose to follow or not.

We are known to Him who created us. He knows our thoughts before we think it. So who knows better which individual language each of us will respond to? 

So today, if you feel that He is silent and doesn’t speak to you, I challenge you to focus on the unique language He might be using to talk to you. You’ll sense it, and then you’ll hear it. I can attest to that.

Some time ago I attended a workshop presented by a church family in Knysna. The theme was exactly this - being still in the Lord’s presence and hearing Him speak. The course stretched over a few weeks and was well attended. During one of the sessions we were asked to put our hands in a box and to take one of the small papers it contained. The paper was blank, with only a number written at the bottom. We had no idea what this meant.

We were told that there would be quiet time for us to simply meditate on whatever we felt the Lord was leading us to. When we felt ready, we were to write what we felt we were hearing on this piece of paper, without sharing it with anyone. We could write a word, a verse, a sentiment - whatever we felt was put on our hearts. 

I was new in town and did not know anyone in the group. I quietly immersed myself in the exercise and wrote down what I felt  - I simply wrote the words ‘My love is forever’, as this is what I strongly sensed the Lord was confirming to me. I felt so at peace in that little church and just incredibly aware of the fact that I am loved by Him. 

Once we had written down our thoughts, we were told that there was someone else in the room with the exact same number as our own, on their paper. We had to find our ‘partners’ and show each other what we had written. My number was 23. 

I started looking for my partner and after a while we found each other. He was a shy young man and it seemed as if he didn’t know too many people there either. 

A total stranger, someone I did not know and to whom I had never spoken before. All I knew about him was that he clearly also wanted to grow his relationship with the Lord as we were both attending a course that had that as it’s main purpose and that he had also taken a blank paper out of the box with the number 23 written on it.

He had written three words on his paper. I love you. 

I love you and my love is forever. A perfect match. 

THAT is a language I understand! We were astounded, bowled over, ecstatic. And we were not alone. I wish I had taken more photographs that evening, as couple after couple shared the same experience - messages that served as confirmation that we serve a Father who is always present, a Father who speaks loudly and clearly.

I can’t remember his name, but I will never forget the moment we shared when together, we read what we had written on those two pieces of paper. I somehow don’t think he will either.

So today, find your language. The one you understand. It probably will be different from mine, but it will be precious and once you start speaking it, you won’t ever want to stop learning more.

‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will council you with my loving eye on you.’ - Psalm 32:8 (NIV)