Hearing His Voice #216

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Psalm 139:23

In a reasonably good mood, I walked into the meeting room to see several people. Yet I suddenly had a strong sense of discouragement. I hadn’t been discouraged before I came into the room, and no one there seemed discouraged. I had neither seen nor heard anything negative. So why did I feel discouraged all of a sudden?

Apparently, this is sometimes how God speaks to us about the needs of those around us. As it turns out, one of the smiling faces in that room was masking a deep inward pain. He wasn’t the type to share his feelings openly, at least not in that context. But he needed someone to ask him how he was really doing, to pray with him, and to express support. Just for the moment, God put into my heart a glimpse of the other man’s feelings—not to expose him, but to draw me to him. God was alerting me to a person in need.

When our mood suddenly shifts, our tendency is to look inside at our own condition, but sometimes God is sending a message about someone else’s inner state. He knows what is in each person’s heart. Why wouldn’t He at times reveal that to a safe person who can help? He would never do so to embarrass a hurting person, but He would certainly do so to alert one of His people to have compassion and to pray. The one who knows all hearts reveals some of them discreetly.

Be aware of sudden mood changes. They may be your own shifting feelings; they may be the feelings of God flowing through you toward someone around you; or they may reflect the inward condition of the person you’re talking to. If led to do more than pray, ask cautious, not intrusive, questions. And be available to respond as a vessel of God’s encouragement.

Lord, if You are to make me an instrument of Your peace, surely You will give me inside information at times when someone is not at peace within. Help me recognize that information and pray or act on it with compassion.