Hearing His Voice #6

You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.

Psalm 139:5

He heard it in his spirit during his morning quiet time: “The evil one cannot touch you.” That fit with some of the verses he had been reading, and the phrase stuck with him most of the day. But it was only after the attack on his ministry—a legal threat from a religious extremist that would probably be backed by the country’s hostile government—that the phrase made sense. He realized that God had known ahead of time the challenges he would face that day and had given him the assurance he needed to remain calm and trust God. This attack was not a surprise to God, and He would keep it from being effective.

When we commune with God regularly, reading His Word and listening for His voice, we often find that He prepares us for what we’ll face. The messages we receive from Him don’t make sense at first because we have no context for them. But in retrospect, they are very reassuring. If we had heard Him afterward, we would wonder if we heard only what we wanted to hear. But when He tells us ahead of time, we know it isn’t a figment of our imagination. That may not change the situation, but it can certainly change our response to it. Only God can give us assurance before we need it because only He knows what’s going to happen.

Make it a habit to listen in the morning for whatever verses God gives you and whatever impressions He whispers into your spirit. Write them down. They may seem random at the time, but if you review them at the end of the day, you may find a correlation between what He said and what you experienced. Not only will this encourage you in times of need, but it will also confirm that you are hearing God’s voice—and that He goes before you to bless you.

Holy Spirit, speak to me in the morning about the journey ahead. Prepare me for each day. Let me experience the comfort of knowing that You are already watching over my future.