During a recent visit to the zoo, we witnessed several kids yelling "Lion!" at the lion exhibit. The male and female lion were sleeping and didn't budge at the noise. My son approached and joined in the fun, yelling "Lion!" with the other kiddos, and nothing changed. Then, my son started to roar. And when my son roars, it starts at his toes and travels up through his body. Then, it explodes out of his mouth. Yet my son's mighty roar had no impact on the lions. They didn't move. My son is one persistent kid, so he didn't give up that easily. After a series of roars that might shake your ear drums, the lioness got up. She started nudging the lion, who then roared back. It was so exciting to watch it unfold! And then, after a few minutes, the lioness nuzzled her king affectionately and led him to the cave. I think they had enough of human lion speak!
I was surprised to watch how the two lions communicated. A simple nuzzle, a few laps around the lion king and walking toward the cave was all it took for the lioness to influence her "man" to follow her to a new location. I never witnessed that before. It was fascinating to watch this intimate exchange.
Have you ever thought about how God communicates with you? How God speaks __________ (insert your name here)? Is it through the Bible? Nature? Biblical blog posts? A Tweet? Your pastor? Words from a friend? Something else? God used some creative communication strategies to get me to follow Him recently. While it wasn't a roar or an actual nudge, He made His plans so clear to me. I'm calling it "The rest of the story..." (Insert Paul Harvey's distinctive voice here.)
In my last blog post (Confident Confrontation), I shared how I became confused after receiving new information regarding a family decision. We prayed and conducted research, God provided wisdom, and we decided to stick with our original plan. Peace was back. And now for the rest of the story...
The same day my Confident Confrontation blog posted on Facebook, I received a phone call that encouraged us to change our original plan. We were at a crossroads... again. And if I was in typical Heather-mode, this new information could have sent me in a worried tailspin... leading me right back to where I started... worrying about what decision to make and if we were doing the right thing. But you know what? God didn't let that happen. God made sure He was "speaking Heather" so I would confidently follow Him down this new path.
How did God "speak Heather," you ask? First, He made sure that my husband and I both received the same information independently. Then, God validated His plan by having the new information perfectly synch up with data I gathered during the research phase. And to top it all off, His peace covered me as I received this information. This peace was truly the peace that passes all understanding that God promises when we choose to present our requests to God instead of worrying.
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
My husband and I agreed on the new direction. We decided to follow where God was leading us, just like the lion followed where the lioness led him. And God walked before us, opening all the necessary doors to get us where He wanted us to be. I'm in awe of His love and how He's constantly at work, speaking in the ways that we understand best because He designed us and knows exactly how to communicate with us.
Are you confused? Maybe you're in the midst of a worried tailspin. If so, ask God to communicate in your language. Ask God to "speak __________." (Insert your name here). And then be willing to wait for His answer like Psalm 62:5 (AMP) encourages us to do:
My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him.
Then, after you hear from God, choose to follow where He leads you. The lion didn't have to follow the lioness. My hubby and I didn't have to change our decision. We had to choose to seek God and trust His leading. We had to choose to put Proverbs 3:5-6 into practice:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Are you willing to trust God? Are you willing to follow where He's leading you? If not, what's holding you back? Let this song, He Is With Us by Love and The Outcome, inspire you to trust God completely and follow where He’s leading because He really is with us... always.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYLoigK4WSI
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