A thunderbolt did not hit me. God did not appear to me out of a cloud. I did not hear a booming voice. In my case, in the pit of loneliness one night I felt this “push” out of nowhere to read the Bible. My wife, daughter, and dog were gone for a few days and I was trying to deal with a business “divorce” from someone whom I had known for a long time. I even told that person that I was comfortable about my actions because I knew I was doing right in the eyes of “my God.” My God? What was I thinking? The only god I “owned” was the world around me.
In the pit of loneliness that night I found the one Bible we had in the house, dusted it off, and started reading. Again, there was no voice, lightening, or skies parting. There was just a simple “push.” That’s the best way I can explain it.
It was only after a while that I realized the “push” was God. He was in my life. He was calling. I came to realize that he was always right here in my life. The problem is that I was not. When I look back on my life I now realize all the times that he had been calling me. Only after you answer God by letting him into your life do you realize that he has always been here—right inside waiting for you. You then realize that he is everywhere. Your eyes truly open up like never before.
When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” And their eyes were opened. Matthew 9:28-30
I now “feel” God’s call. We are so use to listening with our ears that the concept of “feeling” a call is so strange. It does not compute. A “call” is something that is heard, not felt. However, trust me. You will feel the call if you “listen.” You need to open up your heart even more than you open up your ears.
Once you really find God in your life and hear his call you will find him in every person and situation in your life. Things that were meaningless before will start shouting out to you. Once you let God into your life he has you. You will feel a love that you have never felt before, especially when you understand that God wants you to release to others that love that he showers down on you.
I would like to be able to tell you that the first call from God was some dramatic earth-shaking experience. It was not. God did not part the clouds and speak to me. I did not hear the voice of Charlton Heston say, “I am who I am.” (Yes, Charlton Heston not only played Moses in the movie, The Ten Commandments, but he was also the voice of God.)
It was out of the silence—especially out of the silence of my loneliness and despair—that I heard God calling. Like the call of God to the prophet Elijah, God’s call often comes in a whisper or out of the pure silence in our lives.
Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in the mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-14
Don’t expect a Moses-type burning bush call from God. In the silence is where you may likely find God. He can speak volumes in silence. After all, he is God. He works in his way, not our way.
You won’t “hear” God if you don’t take the time and LISTEN. If you are going to hear God in the silence you have to spend some time in silence. You have to put in the time and really open up your heart and mind to LISTEN.
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