Speak to Me

"…For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!"  Romans 8:18

A Facebook friend, an acquaintance really, posted recently that she was in a lot of pain and needed encouragement. This scripture immediately came to mind. I thought twice about sending it, not wanting to seem like I was making light of her pain. I genuinely wanted to help and I’ve learned by now that when a scripture pops into my head, it’s usually relevant to the situation or meant to minister to someone. It’s how God sometimes speaks to me and through me. Still, I hesitated – would it seem a well-meaning, feel-good gesture but still fall flat? A little doubtful of my reception, I followed His leading.

So I replied with, what I refer to as, my FUBU scripture. For Us, By Us. Yeah, it’s misquoted but you get my drift. The acronym helps me to remember. When I recall it to my mind, it sounds something like this: Whatever you’re going through is gonna seem like nothing – like a light affliction - compared to what God’s going to do IN us, By us, For us, Thru US! When I think about it something inside me dances! To think that God is going to use me, work through me, complete a work in me – WOW. That really gets me revved. It usually works to encourage me and distract me from my present plight. My mind goes off on a tangent, thinking about my future potential. I think about the pendulum swinging from very bad, as bad as it gets – to good, very good, as good as anything could ever be. It’s one of my favorite scriptures and has ministered to me many, many times. It gives me hope.

My Facebook friend replied, very simply, on my wall: Thank you. Which I took to mean that, hopefully, the scripture encouraged, instead of offending. But the brevity of her reply left me in doubt. Did it really help or was she merely being polite? I wondered. Did I get it wrong, did I miss God’s leading or was I just being overly sensitive?

“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

Did his word really achieve the purpose for which it was sent? Hmmm. But a funny thing happened on the way to posting that scripture. Instead of initially replying to her post, I wound up posting it on my wall, like it was my status instead of a reply. I wanted to delete it altogether, because it was a mistake, or so I thought. I rectified the matter by replying to her post so that she knew the scripture was meant for her. And after I received her thank you, I noticed a reply to my wall post from another Facebook friend.

As it turned out, it was just what SHE needed to hear. She was going through a tough time and when she saw the scripture, it ministered to her. She was in tears and so, nearly, was I when I saw her reply. His word did accomplish its purpose. It did not return to him empty. I was glad I obeyed his leading as it led to healing for someone, maybe not my intended recipient, but certainly God’s. It was a happy surprise and an unexpected benefit – I knew then that God spoke to me and he used me to encourage my friend. Not coincidence but providence.

So how do you know when God is speaking to you? For me, it’s been a gradual realization. Over time, I’ve learned to trust his leading, mainly because of the many times it was ignored. It started out with reading my Bible. At first, out of curiosity, and gradually, because of a thirst for more knowledge. Then a scholarly looking gentleman came to my church. He fascinated me. He was known as “The Walking Bible” because he could quote any scripture, verbatim, just from memory. In fact, he testified that he read the Bible twice a year, cover to cover, just to refresh his memory. Sadly, (sigh) I am not him. But I have always admired him and aspire to be like him. I’ve read the Bible cover to cover a few times and can usually get you in the general vicinity of the scripture. I may even recall the name of the book. But chapter and verse? Not so much.

After studying for a few years, I noticed that scriptures would pop into my head. The first time it got my attention, I was talking to a friend. As the scriptures came to me, they were all relevant to our conversation. I got goose bumps as I relayed them to her. I felt like they must be meant, specifically, for her. With a certain amount of trepidation, I confessed that I believed God was speaking through me. Gulp. Seriously. I didn’t want to be crazy. I felt that only nutty people walked around saying they heard the voice of the Lord. But it was true. I realized that he was using these scriptures to speak to me. Before I could really think I was going off the deep end, I came across a verse that shed some light on my situation:

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” John 14:26

The Holy Spirit was giving me the ability to recall these scriptures and bring them to mind whenever I needed them. Whew. Me not crazy. What a relief. Still, knowing that he’s actually speaking and actually obeying that voice is a bit of a stretch. At times, I haven’t trusted myself to be able to discern the difference between his voice and mine. But I’ve learned to apply two simple tests: Is it something he would say? Studying God’s word helped to teach me about the mind and will of God. The second test: Is the action required good, true, kind? If I can answer yes to those questions, I will usually follow through. Every time I obey his voice and he proves himself, I am encouraged to obey him again.

Be blessed,

Loria