Day Twenty-One

YOU CAN HEAR GOD

“The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice.”

—JOHN 10:2–4 MSG

I had always lived in Georgia. For the first twenty-seven years of my life, I had called one state home. I liked my Georgia driver’s license, my Georgia sports teams, my Georgia sticker on my car, and my Georgia home.

Then one October I felt something stirring in my heart about Nashville, Tennessee. I was scared. I didn’t want to even think about moving, much less really do it. But I’ve been following God a long time, and I have learned to hear God’s voice in my life. I knew that quiet voice and that gentle push.

I didn’t want to go. I can remember my last church service in Georgia before my big move. As the music played, tears puddled in my eyes and lots of things ran through my mind: This was my last Sunday at home, everything was about to change, maybe God would change His mind, maybe I was wrong all along . . . Wait. Maybe God would change His mind?

I’m a genius, I thought. I’ll just pray and ask Him to change His mind. He knows I am willing to go—I’ve already paid my first month’s rent and I moved one carload of stuff to Nashville. Now He’ll let me out of it.

I’ve been following God a long time, and I have learned to hear God’s voice in my life.

So that’s exactly what I prayed. While the rest of the people worshipped God, I bartered with Him. I reminded Him how totally willing I was to go. I knew sometimes He doesn’t actually make you do the thing, just be willing to. I begged Him not to make me go. I begged Him to change His mind.

And then a quietly bold statement ran through my mind and plugged right into my heart.

Nashville is the greatest gift I have ever given you.

I took a deep breath. I knew it was true. It didn’t feel true. It didn’t look true. But I knew that was God, and I knew it was truth.

It didn’t feel like a gift for a long time. It felt terrible at first, then okay, then survivable, then good, then great. But I’ll tell you what: that one sentence that God whispered into my heart years ago is one of the truest things I know today.

Nashville is the greatest gift God has ever given me. For sure. No question. He knew it then. We both know it now.

I strongly disagree with the people who say God doesn’t speak to us anymore. I think He is always speaking to us—through the Bible, through nature, through others, through Jesus’ life, and directly through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. You can hear Him too, if you want to. He’s speaking, and He will talk to you if you’re listening.

BE BRAVE: Could you be brave enough today to believe that God wants to speak to you? Just ask Him. Pray this: God, I want to hear You. I want to know Your voice and recognize it. I’m listening. Speak to me.