Need to hear from God?

How do you hear from God?

It always seems like wacko people or "professional" church people hear from God.  They have dreams, the say God spoke to them clearly, they see angels, they nearly die and go to heaven (and come back).  The list could go on.

Some of these people say "This is the way God speaks.  Look at the Bible."  Ok, yes, there are some pretty funky things like burning bushes, visionary dreams, and disembodied hands writing on walls. 

But, consider this:

The bible covers 1000s of years of history.  Take all the weird 'God speaking' moments and add them up.  Over the course of 1000s of years, there's not that many.  You'll see that God speaks in these ways for sure, but it's not his usual mode. 

There are many ways to hear from God, for sure, but I want to tell you about one.  This one has been very influential in my life and my wife's.  It's journaling.

You're thinking, "So writing out my feelings on paper is a way to hear God?  Huh?" 

Let me explain.  Before Jesus died and was resurrected, he said he would leave you something: his Holy Spirit.  He said that the Spirit would "remind us of what he said" and "lead us into all truth."  (John 14:26, 16:13)

The Spirit of Jesus lives in you!  And he is a part of your thoughts, insights, and feelings.  When you write out those thoughts over time you can begin to see things pop up.  When I've been writing or when I've looked back at my writing I have often found many answers to questions I've had.  They "just come to me" as I write over time. 

"just come to me" can also be understood: the Spirit is working through my thoughts as I engage him during the process.

Want to hear from God?  Try journaling.

Oh, and there are other ways to do it too.  Some people like to draw their thoughts or feelings.  Some like to take photos that reflect their thoughts and then think on them.  For others it can be just talking out loud to the Lord and processing stuff.  Give it a shot.