Well, we welcome you back to another podcast of Struggling Well, and we're delighted that you've joined us and again, And we say this, if you've got friends that you want to introduce to this podcast and to the ministry of tandem spirituality, I hope you'll do that. Recommend us and recommend the podcast and it hopefully will be an encouragement to people as it is to you. just a thought, Suzi, as we go to where I want to talk where we want to talk about today is the voices we hear, the voices we listen to, and we've talked about this some in other episodes of how voices can powerfully remain in our heads. And how do we hear the voice of God? Does he speak to us even does he speak to us even if we're not necessarily looking for him to talk to us?
That is a great question that I think is worth us talking about this morning and pondering it. I don't think we're going to come up with any hard and fast answers. But I do here's the thing. Let me tell you let me tell you what I don't like. And that is when people say God told me that you should do X, Y, and Z.
Well, yeah.
And I think, okay, well, what has God told you about your life? But they have somehow heard from God. And you know, as I've gotten older, I'm definitely, oh boy, I'm getting feistier and my filters are dropping off by the second. I don't know what kind of old person I'm going to be, but it should be interesting. And let's still do the podcast when I'm like 85. I think it'll
be an interesting ride. for sure.
But there's that place where people say, "God told me that you need to quit your job and go do such and such or you need to marry that person or whatever." I'm always asking the question, "How did you hear that? And why did you hear it for me? Let me ask you what God has told you for you."
Yeah. And I look at it this way. Campus Crusade for Christ years ago established the four spiritual laws which were a wonderful tool for witnessing. And part of it would say God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life and the way we've adopted it is God loves you and I have a wonderful plan for your life and that's when that I heard from God that you need to do this or you need to do this or whatever it may be.
hearing the voice of God to me is significant. It's important. I don't wake up every day thinking I'm going to hear his voice that day.
Are you thinking Are you thinking like an audible voice that you're waiting to hear something in your Well,
head, your heart, what?
Yeah, I don't know that I don't know that I'm any more thinking audible. I mean, I guess that's true as possible, but I'm thinking more directional and I want to know what God has for me coming up. And so, I want to I want to lean into what he has to say,
you know. I think about when Jesus came and we're in this Lenton season right now, but I think of when Jesus came, he often would ref refer back to Old Testament scriptures that the even though they were fishermen and they were probably not well educated in the Torah, but they knew enough cuz that was their life everywhere. Everything was based off of that. he would reference back to things that were in the Old Testament and then he would speak to them constantly. He was speaking to them and they often missed it and they had him right there. But I think one of the things is if I want to hear from God, then I need to go to the source of where he speaks the most reliably that I can say is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And that's his word.
Yeah. I mean, Jesus said it in the Gospels that man doesn't live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
And so, it's one of those things of again, I don't I think I can be guilty of trying to put God in a box. as to how he has to speak to me. in the Old Testament, there were many ways that God spoke to people, burning bushes and dreams and visions. And this the author of Hebrews says, "In these last days, God has spoken to us through his son."
So, what do you mean putting God in a box?
Well, I mean I don't Yes. I think that you want to have reliable the scripture is a reliable place for me to see God speaking. Right.
But beyond those things, is there a way that God communicates to me today that you know, for example, it seems like in the you listen to people who minister in the Muslim world, God uses visions,
he uses dreams.
Mhm.
but that's not the only way he speaks,
right?
And I don't want to discount it that he can speak that way. I don't know. It's just it gets confusing. Maybe it's confusing because the way we interpret things for others.
Well, and I'm going to I'm going to guess that maybe this is something you're wrestling with about cuz you like me, we want to hear something. It would be nice to hear something definitive right now in our lives. And I know that you have voiced that numerous times about even what's going on for me is that you would like some clarity and I believe that the Holy spirit is teaching us and speaking to us about convicting us challenging us all those things. But my thought is I need to go to what is reliable all the time. Now God I would love to have a vision. I would love to I would love to hear his voice. and I don't know if people in other countries that have nothing are more open to hearing from him that way. And I and I'm just I've got so much tech ology around me. I can look up what is Jesus saying. They have nothing. And so maybe they're more open to it. I don't know. But let's get down to the question is what are you wanting to hear from God? And that boils down to I want him to answer in a way that will satisfy my heart and my mind according to my agenda.
Yeah. I mean, there's probably real truth to that. I think it was a few weeks ago in church that one of the portions of scripture that was read was the 29th Psalm. And I think again it's David's speaking about worshiping God. And he's using the illustration of a thunderstorm to ascribe glory to God and to worship him in all his glory. But the language he uses is the voice of God is over the waters. The God of glory thunders. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. It's all about the voice of the Lord. And I think it's set in the context of a huge storm, but it's to point to God in all of his glory. And there's a part of me that goes, "Yeah, I think I would like that, but I but again, I'm not saying that's the only way God speaks." And so, maybe I'm speaking out of my confusion this morning.
Yeah. Because well, I think we do speak out of our confusion because when you read this and it says the voice of the Lord is powerful. He breaks the cedars. he makes the calf skip. he it flashes like flames of fire. I want that. But is it is he speaking in some of those ways? And I just don't hear it. You know, he says I think Jesus says and forgive me for not giving you chapter and verse. If you have ears to hear, hear is basically what it is. And there's a difference between hearing and listening. Like right now, I can hear in our neighborhood, I can hear a jet flying over top, but I'm not really listening to it. I just hear the noise in the background. Is that what happens with us? Is that God's voice becomes like background noise and we're not tuned in enough to hear his? We're not listening. and some of it is because he might say something that I don't want to hear. I, you know, I don't want to hear that someone's illness is terminal. I don't want to hear that God's story is bigger and that person's illness as terminal is part of the story. I want that person I love to not be terminal.
Right.
So, I don't know. But I do think as I've watched you over the last nine months that has been a place that you have definitely wrestled and it's so odd because you have a wife that is speaks non-stop and so I would think that you would like no only when I'm asleep. I would think that you might like the silence. I don't know.
Yeah. And maybe it's so this week folks you're hearing the rawness of my confusion and my desire that feels un met and untouched, but I'm still going to say you point your face towards Jesus.
Point your face toward Jesus. So, we hope that our prayer is that as you listen to this that something is stirred in you to move you forward to put you pointed to have you pointed towards Jesus. you staying in the place of confusion, I think it just begets more confusion and so you have an opportunity to get in his word. to lift your head up and look around and see where you see God and what you hear from him. So, we hope that you will be encouraged and that you will pray and just pray for my sweet husband.
Thanks. Have a great week.