“…and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy. Listen to Him.’—Matthew 17:5, NLT
I know and believe God has spoken this way, and that He still does on occasion. And yet whenever I’m in a conversation where someone boldly announces they heard from God, why is that everything within me wants to stand at arm’s length?
Them: “God told me…”
Me thinking: “Really? In an audible voice? Are you sure? Told you how, exactly? And how did you know it was God?”
Some people sincerely claim they hear God speaking to them regularly in an audible voice, like the voice-over calling Dr. Bob in The Muppets’ “Veterinarian’s Hospital” segment. I'd love to hear God like that.
But this week, I heard birds. And I’m good with that...
“Having your spiritual radar up in constant anticipation of His presence—even in the midst of the joyful chaos and regular rhythms of your everyday living—is paramount in hearing God, because sometimes the place and manner you find Him is the least spectacular you'd expect.”
—Priscilla Shirer, author
... As I often do as part of my morning routine in the warm weather months, after I grabbed my coffee yesterday, I opened the door to the porch to greet the day and to once again breathe in the breath God has given me. But there was something else: it was wicked noisy. Not traffic, not windy, but very, very birdie. The “dawn chorus” of the early morning birds in the summer was nothing new, but the volume yesterday seemed exceptionally loud. Excited about something? A lot to say? Announcing to one another a new source of food or a new predator in the neighborhood? Huh. While marveling at the sound, and finding a sense of assurance that, yet again, everything that has breath does indeed praise the Lord for that breath, I thought that was that and went back inside to my usual spot near the window, with bible and notebook and a couple of devotional books.
But then, a “voice-over” of sorts that wasn’t audible but that seemed to be clearly directed at me. I opened the day’s selection from a devotional called “Because God…I Can,” written by one of my previous pastors, Steve Gammon. And the “God told me” voice-over was this:
“Ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:7-10)…Have you heard? God is speaking through His creation. As an artist speaks through his or her handiwork, God reveals Himself in the wonders He has made. Flowers, gemstones, and tropical fish eloquently shout the beauty of God and the brilliance of His glory. Snowflakes reflect the purity of God’s holiness, His grace to cover sin, and the sheer endlessness of His creativity. The lion, tiger and bear hint at His strength and fearlessness, and the soaring eagle exhibits the graceful moving of God far above all things. The trees point upward toward heaven, and the wind speaks God’s power to move heaven and earth. The birds show God’s care for all His creations. And every newborn baby affirms the miracle of life, which is of God. It is good for us to hear what God is saying through His creation. Are we listening today?”
And that would have been wonderful enough. But this morning, after a restless night for whatever reason, I opened that porch door again and intentionally listened for the birds’ cacophony. Not as loud as yesterday, but the reminder made me put up my spiritual radar again. And it was simply a sense, an inner voice: “check out Psalm 143.” And back in my usual spot by the window, I turned to this, and exhaled…“Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me the way I should go for I lift up my soul to You.” (Psalm 143:8, NLV) …Hey, it’s true—God told me!
Sometimes, the most important thing God wants to tell us is that He is still in control, large and in charge, that His love for us never quits (even when we think He’s got to have a limit), and that no matter how crazy this world gets, God will always care immensely for all His creation and all He has made.
And sometimes, He will make it known loud and clear yet without a booming voice from above—even through something as simple as the morning birds. Radar up…
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