Random Thought

I have learned from various Bible studies and teachings that the way to recognize/find/hear Jesus’ voice is:
Through those things created – nature
Through people in our lives
Through His Word – the Bible
Through the quiet voice in your head – a.k.a. “your conscious”
Through circumstances in our lives

I have learned over the years to try to tune into these things so I don’t miss anything Jesus may be trying to tell me. His words and thoughts to me/towards me are very important to me and I don’t want to miss them. However, there is also something I have learned to pay attention to that can be very easy to miss – that random word or thought that pops into your mind or ear that you weren’t expecting or even looking for. You know, the one that seems strange or out of place at first but then just might make some sense to you or could be the answer you’ve been looking for…just maybe. This has happened to me a few times over the years, maybe more but I can’t remember too many. These words just pop into my head or I hear them while listening to someone speak to me or a teaching and they just catch my attention. It reminds me of what a dog does. If you don’t have a dog, remember the scene from Up when the dog is talking to the old man and the boy and all of a sudden he stops mid sentence and cocks his head to the side and hears something? That’s what these random words do they catch me off guard so I tune in. Then I usually have to contemplate them for a while and pray about them to see if Jesus was trying to get my attention about something. These occurrences usually relate to the lesson He has for me that takes a whole year of focus (more on that in future blogs). Sometimes these words aren’t so pretty to look at or come with much work and are easily dismissed; for instance – control, anger, surrender, submission, wrath, etc.

Most recently, the word that got my attention is “wrath”. Pretty ugly word don’t you think. Yeah…I did too. I haven’t really been too excited to explore this one, let me tell you! But… I know that if something like this is a part of my life and hiding in the corners somewhere, I want it flushed out and gone! I don’t want Jesus looking at me and knowing that wrath is lurking in the dark corners of my heart and mind and keeping me from having the abundant life He has for me that He died to give me. So…I am still tuning in so I don’t miss any more information that comes my way from Him.

What does this nasty revelation have to do with hearing Jesus’ voice in your life? Pay attention to those random words/thoughts that come your way, that seem out of place at the moment but just might fit. Pray about them, read books about them, and wait for clarification.

Also, while you are exploring these moments and waiting for clarification, know that Jesus in His mercy is preparing you and your heart for the revelation. The seemingly long time it takes to get the answer from Him maybe the long time that is required for you to be able to look in the dark corners and see the ugliness you didn’t know was there. Mercifully!! Jesus has dealt with me bit by bit on some things because it would have been too hard on me to deal with it all at once. He knows I just want to jump in and get it over with but He also knows this isn’t always the best way for me. Some things have been bigger than I realized and in looking back I was very glad for amount of time it took to deal with it.