Does God Still Speak?

Have you ever been in a season where you wish God would just part the clouds and speak in a booming voice?  I have been, and am in, a season like that right now.  

Tonight I was faced with a moral dilemma when my husband offered to take our kids swimming so I could stay home and have a little alone time(clearly he could see I needed it).  Everything in my flesh said "Finally, you have the entire house to yourself, grab a bag of popcorn and plop down in front of the couch and watch some mindless show with no one interrupting you!"  But as I began to munch on a bag of kettlecorn the Lord quietly whispered in my heart "would you rather spend time with that popcorn than me?"  I know it sounds funny(obviously the Lord knows my sense of humor) but it really got my attention.  The truth was that in that moment the answer was "yes Lord, please leave me alone so I can eat my popcorn in peace!"  But that answer really grieved my heart so I put away the popcorn, grabbed my Bible and picked up where I had left off in my chronological Bible reading plan.  

As you might imagine my attitude wasn't exactly pretty when I first started to read.  But then the Lord quickly reminded me that we don't have to be put together to come and spend time with Him.  In fact, not being pretty and having it all together is WHY we come spend time with Him.  I watched as my spirit shifted from "poor me, God doesn't listen or answer anyway so why bother" to "wow you just gave me HUGE revelation in ONE chapter of the Bible!".  I don't know why I ever doubt God but unfortunately I do.  I LOVE how He doesn't let me stay there though.  

Here's what God showed me in just one chapter in to my quiet time with Him:

1. God is not a man.  

If you are a parent you know how draining kids can be at times.  "Mommy, mommy, mommy....I went poop in my pants, I'm hungry, will you play with me?, sissy hit me..."  The constant chatter and begging for answers and needs to be met really is unending.  Most days I practice really great patience but then I have my days that I melt down and tell them mommy can't handle it anymore and go lock myself in the bathroom for some alone time(true story).  

In 2 Samuel 24:14 David says to Gad(the prophet) "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands."

The scripture jumped out to me because it reminded me of a moment when I was praying a few nights ago and I stopped and said "Lord I am so sorry for whining over all these little things. I would much rather you took care of other people who need more immediate help then me".  Immediately the Lord answered "I don't have to pick and choose who I can help. I can take care of ALL my kids at the same time and still have enough left over."

Often we compare our earthly parenting to our heavenly Father and all of the sudden we think he has limits because we do.  I may not be able to be there for every moment of my kids lives or provide every little thing they need, but He can.  He reminded me again today that there is no such thing as Him running out of blessings.  Instead of being jealous of someone else being blessed we need to get excited because we saw the hand of God move on them and He can do the same for us. 

2. It's not a sacrifice if it didn't cost you anything. 

We all want answers in our lives but very few of us are willing to sacrifice something to hear God.  Tonight, I "sacrificed" my self loathing time to spend time with God instead.  If I had chosen to stick to my original plan I would have missed His voice in my life.  He still speaks but we do have to sit still long enough to listen and be obedient when He calls.  

In 2 Samuel 24:24 David was preparing to make a sacrifice to God and Araunah offered him everything he needed to make the sacrifice all at no cost to David.  But David responded "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."  

What is God calling you to sacrifice today?  Time, money, food?  Only you know what he is asking you to lay down for a moment, or a season, in order to hear Him more clearly.  

So do I think God still speaks? The answer is yes.  If you don't believe me, walk away from the computer, get alone with God and ask Him to speak.  He may ask you to sit in silence, journal, read the Bible, pray, go for a walk or listen to worship music.  Follow Him and He will take you places you never dreamed were possible.