A rose by any other name...

People often ask me how do you know God is speaking to you. They are generally surprised when I tell them that God generally speaks to me through a still small voice in my thoughts, rather than a booming voice penetrating through parting clouds. It reminds me of the story of Elijah when he was hiding in a cave on a desert mountaintop. He was running away from Queen Jezebel who wanted him killed.

What has always been curious to me about his story was that his flight from Jezebel was right after his defeat of her prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. It was an amazing encounter in which God's power was manifest through Elijah's amazing boldness and God's fire falling from heaven. One would think Elijah would be fearless. His God proved faithful once again, and in such a demonstrative way. Merely a few days later, Elijah is in a cave cowering in fear because of a threat from one person.

God causes a great wind that draws Elijah to the front of the cave, but God was not in the wind. Then there was a great earthquake shaking the mountain, but God was not in the earthquake. Next the mountain was engulfed in fire, but God was not in the fire, either. Confused, Elijah wonders why God has not appeared in power as he had before. Instead, God follows the fire with a gentle and quiet breeze. It was in this soft way that God spoke to Elijah. He wanted Elijah's undivided attention.

So it is with us. God wants us to listen, in the same way we tell our children to take their eyes and ears off of the television when we are speaking to them. We want to know they are really listening, and that they really want to hear from us. As the perfect parent, God wants the same from us.

As I was picking out flowers for my wife for Mother's Day, the florist provided me several options. In spite of the beautiful choices in front of me, a voice confirmed later to be the Holy Spirit told me the one to choose - a bouquet of red roses, nothing less would do. There were more colorful bouquets, but I just knew they would not be sufficient. I chose the rose.

Not knowing my choice, over lunch my wife was already lamenting that again she would probably be disappointed because I would forget her favorite flower - a red rose. Even one or two would make her happy she said. She had even been crying out to God asking Him why she had been disappointed in the past. I just smiled knowing the Holy Spirit not only heard her prayer but that He communicated it to me as a still small voice of a persistent thought in the middle of a florist shop.

When we arrived home and my wife saw the beautiful bouquet of a dozen red roses you would have thought she just won the lottery. That is how God often answers our prayers - bigger and better than we can ever imagine. He loves to bless us. He loves when we take the time to cry out to Him with the desires of our heart. He especially loves when we take the time to listen to that still small voice of the Holy Spirit in our mind that God uses to guide and direct us moment by moment so that we can be used by Him.

I often wonder how many blessings go unspoken and are never received because we are so busy we ignore or don't even hear the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit calling out to us. Will God speak to you about a choice of flowers? Absolutely! Why wouldn't He? And if He will guide you to be a blessing in such small things, will He not use you in much greater ways if you will but listen and obey? The answer again is absolutely He will.

Ask God to tune your physical, mental, and spiritual ears to hear His voice however it appears. When you hear it, obey! Then thank Him for speaking to you and helping you obey. Then be sure to thank Him for His wonderful grace through His Son Jesus Christ that makes all of this possible with His gentle but unbelievably powerful Holy Spirit.