Are you Listening?

God is always speaking and we must be in tune to His voice to recognize what He is saying because He does not speak in the same manner all the time. He speaks through His word, through people, through nature, and through our life experiences. God showed me something this morning through nature.

I was chatting with Big Daddy (God) this morning as I lay in bed and decided I may hear Him better if I exercised. So I jumped up, put on exercise clothes and headed to the treadmill at my "timeshare" only find out that I couldn't figure out how to get it to start. I was really psyched about exercising so I didn't let that stop me and decided to go the old fashioned route - hit the pavement. I opened the door and it was dark outside but it didn't seem to be raining so I headed out. Two minutes into my walk I felt water drop on me but I kept going and prayed, "Lord, please don't let this really be rain." Another 2 minutes and there was no mistaking it, it was raining or what we call sprying. But I was in a groove and decided to keep going. My prayer then became, "Lord, please don't let me get sick from walking in the rain." lol

I'm walking at a good pace, saying "Good morning" to the little children making their way to school, ignoring the looks of people driving by on the busy road who are probably wondering why this woman is walking in the rain, asking God more questions, and feel jazzed that my lazy bones are not just walking, but walking in the rain. And then the rain stopped. And it was cool and I thanked the Lord for the little rain that allowed me to have a cool walk. And as I continued to walk, a song burst forth from my soul and I began to sing a song to God expressing my love for and trust in Him. It was a sweet time.

When my song ended, God showed me the answer to my questions by pointing out what had just occured in nature. I looked out the door and it was dark but I continued with my plan to walk. As I walked, the dark clouds gave way to rain but I pressed on. And after a little while, the rain stopped and there were still some dark clouds. Eventually the dark clouds started to recede and the sky cleared up. He showed me that this is how life is when we walk with Him. There are dark clouds and even some rain, but brighter, better days will follow those dark periods. We cannot let the appearance of difficulty deter us from doing what He instructs and going where He leads because we have to trust Him in the midst of good times and bad times.

As I type this I hear Him saying that He was with me through the entire walk just as He is with me through life. And it's true. Before, during, and after rain, I knew He was with me so it really didn't matter what the weather is like. Likewise, during hard times, in uncomfortable situations, when life is sweet, and when it feels like my world is falling apart, He is right there fulfilling His promise never to leave me nor forsake. I LOVE that about God. Don't you?

Keep listening, because He is ALWAYS speaking. Be BLESSED!