Experiencing God at Home (20 page)

Because Janet assumed God would speak to her the way He had before, she missed three other ways He was providing guidance. In the end, Janet chose to simply weigh the pros and cons of the decision and then proceed with her own best judgment. The role of the Holy Spirit is to “guide [us] into all truth” (John 16:13). We must be prepared for Him to guide us any way He chooses.

It is extremely important for parents to model “seeking God” for their children. Parents should do this not only in times of crisis but also in everyday situations.

• When we read family devotions with our children, we ask, “What do you think God is saying to us through this verse?”
  
• We pray not only for intervention in our life situations, but we thank Him for how He has answered our previous prayers. The way God answers our prayer is His means of telling us once again how much He loves us.
  
• When we arrive home from church, we take time to debrief with our children what God said to them in their Bible study time and through the sermon that morning.
  
• At the dinner table we share ways God guided us during the day. We also invite our kids to relate how God led them.
  

Jesus Take the Wheel (An Example from Tom)

One summer, my family had a chance to drive down to Italy for a few weeks’ vacation. It was a hot day, and we were returning from visiting an aquarium. The air-conditioning was going full blast when all of the sudden every warning light on the dashboard came on, the A/C went warm, the steering became laborious, and I knew we were in trouble. I said to my family, “Someone pray for a gas station to show up real soon.” My wife prayed, and wouldn’t you know it, within less than a block, we pulled into a gas station. I knew if I turned the engine off it would not turn back on again, so I backed the car into a parking spot that was easily accessible to a tow truck and turned the engine off. Sure enough, the primary engine belt was gone. Being a Sunday, the gas station was closed, and I had no clue who I should call for help in Rimini, Italy. How do you even pronounce
mechanic
in Italian?
MiKANniko?

I explained to my family that we needed to pray for God’s help. Just as we said, “Amen,” a car pulled up to the gas station. A young man and woman got out, unlocked the office, and went inside. I chased after them, hoping they could understand English. They were a little startled by my abrupt entrance, but fortunately the woman understood my meager attempt at sign language, pitifully pointing to my broken car. She called a tow truck that towed our vehicle to the only mechanic open that day. The mechanic found that a small wheel that drove the belt in my British Vauxhall minivan was broken. He grimly announced, “We have no such part in
all
of Italy!” I called my wife and told her to pray with me. Then I called my mechanic back home, who informed me that my van was made by Citroen, a vehicle commonly found in Italy. Looking up, I saw a Citroen dealer across the street! In less than a day, the car was repaired—and quite inexpensively too. My three kids were able to see their dad turn to the Lord in a time of crisis and watch as God answered every one of our prayers, almost immediately. The half-day we spent waiting for repairs was worth it for my kids see how God cares for His children in their time of need. So what was God saying to us through that event?

1. He knows what is going on in our life each moment of the day.
   
2. He can take care of us even when we have absolutely no clue what to do next!
   
3. God can set in motion anything and anyone He chooses to help us at any time and any place (and often in the most creative ways!).
   
4. He has put people in our lives for a reason, and we should not hesitate to call on them when we need to.
   

Now God did not speak to me through a burning bush. But His Spirit
led
me to call my church member back in Norway to get the information I needed. He
answered
every one of our prayers within minutes. And He
reminded
us of His great love for us by the way He cared for us.

When we talk about God “speaking” to us, we mean God
communicating
to us in a way we understand. It would be incorrect to assume God only speaks in an audible voice, as He did to some people in the Bible. The testimony of Scripture is that God used numerous means to communicate His will to people (Heb. 1:1). Other words or phrases that could be used instead of
speaking
to us would be:

• Leading us
  —as in “God led me to pray for an old friend today, and just as I finished praying for him, the phone rang, and it was that same person on the other line!”
  
• Impressing upon us—
  as in “the missionary spoke about what God was doing in her place of ministry, I felt impressed to give to her the unexpected bonus check I received from work that day.”
  
• Compelling us—
  as in “I don’t normally do this, but I feel compelled to take the day off work to drive you to your medical appointment tomorrow.”
  
• Revealing
  to us in His Word, in a dream, in a vision
  —as in “I read the Scripture passage in my morning devotional, I suddenly came to understand something about God that had been bothering me for weeks,” or “As I was praying for God to work in my wayward daughter’s life, God showed me how my own attitude was a major part of the problem,” or “I had the most vivid dream last night. It was as if God was sitting right next to me through the tough meeting I was scheduled to have today. I feel at peace about it now.”
  

Think about how God spoke to various people in the Bible:

• Moses: face-to-face, as one man speaks to another (Exod. 33:11)
  
• Joshua: through an angel of the Lord (Josh. 5:14)
  
• Gideon: an angel and fleece (Judg. 6:12, 37)
  
• Joseph: three different dreams (Matt. 1:20; 2:13, 19)
  
• Elijah: still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12)
  
• Balaam: donkey (Num. 22:28)
  
• Israelites: spoke from the fire (Deut. 4:12)
  
• Peter: vision (Acts 10:10)
  
• Jesus: prayer (Luke 3:21)
  
• Ethiopian: a believer (Acts 8:37)
  
• Philip: Holy Spirit (Acts 8:29)
  
• Disciples: prayer with casting lots (Acts 1:24, 26)
  
• Ananias: vision (Acts 9:10)
  
• People: preachers (Acts 2:14; 1 Cor. 15:11)
  
• Paul: revelation (Gal. 2:2)
  
• Believers: Christ’s words as recorded in the Bible (Heb. 1:2)
  
• Saul: audible voice (Acts 9:4)
  
• Believers: word of God (Heb. 4:12)
  
• Mankind: rainbow (Gen. 9:13–16)
  
• People: spoke through a cloud (Matt. 17:5)
  

God uses a diversity of means to communicate with people. He chooses to relate to us in a manner we can understand so we clearly know what He is telling us. This is the primary role of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said He would send the Spirit as a Counselor (John 14:16), Comforter, Helper, Teacher (John 14:26), Revealer of Truth (John 16:13), and a Guide. It is difficult for the Spirit to teach, comfort, guide, help, or reveal unless He communicates with you in some way or another that you clearly understand!

Listening and Obeying (An Example from Tom)

When I was finishing university, I needed a break from school, so I applied for a two-year international missions position overseas. As I had completed a degree in education, I felt I could best be used as a teacher for homeschooled missionary children whose parents were away for extended periods of time. And, as I had lived in the Canadian prairies most of my life, I felt I needed to go somewhere warm for a change (tropical rain forest, here I come!). So I applied to places like the French West Indies, Honduras, and Peru. I thought serving as a teacher while wearing shorts and sandals and being surrounded by palm trees and exotic fruit sounded pretty good! When my acceptance letter arrived, it read, “Congratulations for being accepted as a
youth pastor
in NORWAY!” I was stunned and upset. I had never even belonged to a church that had a youth pastor, and I didn’t know where Norway was. My plans to serve God seemed to be thwarted by misguided bureaucracy! I put the letter down and went for a walk to decide whether or not I would pursue the program or not. As I walked, I prayed. I sensed God saying, “Tom, I will be waiting for you in Norway if you choose to follow Me.” I decided God knew what was best. I was disappointed, but I also knew I had given my life to Him for His purposes many years earlier, so I submitted to His will for my life, even though it had not been my plan. As you might expect, I had an amazing two years. However, little did I know that fifteen years later I would take a wife and three children to that same church and become the longest serving pastor in its history. God knows our hearts, but He has the right to direct our footsteps.

Four Primary Ways the Holy Spirit Communicates with People

1. The Bible

When you open God’s Word, you are walking directly into God’s presence. The Bible is not just a book of quaint sayings and interesting stories; it is God’s living Word and His expressed will. The most straightforward and reliable way to hear God speak is to read Scripture and to ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand its meaning as well as its application for your life. Notice what the Bible says:

• “For the word of God is
  living and effective
  and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12
  hcsb
  , italics added)
  
• “My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but
  it will accomplish what I please
  and will prosper in what I send it
  to do
  .” (Isa. 55:11
  hcsb
  , italics added)
  

Reading the Bible presents God the opportunity to reveal truth to you, give you specific answers to your questions, bring comfort, point out shortcomings that need addressing, and much more. Those who open their Bibles in the morning for a hurried reading or devotional thought completely miss the primary purpose of God’s Word, which is
to know Him
. Some people read the Bible in a manner akin to gulping down a daily dose of cod liver oil. It is done dutifully but unprofitably. Others study each word in the text for meaning and understanding. Some will read their full quota of chapters each day so they can make it through the entire Bible within the year. Others can’t get past one verse without sincerely pleading with God to help them implement that truth in their life. We can read for information, application, and revelation. The key, however, is to read so our relationship with Christ is deepened as we receive what God reveals to us about His heart, ways, and truth.

2. Prayer

It is not commonly known that our mother has said, “God speaks to me through my vacuum cleaner.” What she
means
is that she learned to multitask while she was a mother of five who needed to clean her house. Rather than mindlessly vacuuming the floor, she uses that time to talk with God about her five children and their families. She brings up concerns that her friends voiced that week. She intercedes on behalf of people God brings to mind while she works around the house. There are numerous mundane activities we perform each day—such as doing the laundry, mowing the lawn, gardening, cooking, and cleaning—that can be used more productively if we turn them into times of conversing with God. Many people find swimming laps to be a good time for reflection and dialogue with God. Others bring their Bible studies with them to their kids’ ball practise, swimming lessons, and tournaments to redeem the hundreds of hours that would be otherwise wasted sitting in bleachers or waiting in the car. What could have been a tedious lesson and commute is transformed into a life-changing Bible study and prayer time. By doing this throughout the day, you come to the place where you understand that prayer is not something reserved for mealtimes and morning devotionals; it is an ongoing conversation we have with God throughout the day. This is what Paul meant when He challenged us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).

One of the great privileges we have as parents is helping our children learn to talk with God. Notice we didn’t say talk
to
God. Many people “say their prayers,” but they are not really talking to God. You know what we mean:

• “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food. Amen”
  
• “Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Angels on my left and right, keep me safe throughout the night. Amen.” (This version is less worrisome to small children than “If I should die before I wake, I pray Lord my soul to take!”)
  
• “For all we are about to receive, let us be truly thankful. Amen.”
  
• “Bless the giver and the gift as to thy service. Amen.”
  

You could probably add a few more memorized prayers too. When children are very young, it is great to get them into the habit of saying prayers. But as they grow older, teaching them
how to pray
is important. There is a wonderful book written by Rick Osborne called
How to Teach Your Child to Pray
that offers great suggestions in this regard. (It is one of the best books for teaching parents to pray too!)

Prayer
is a spiritual term for “talking with God.” Letting God direct our prayers is important. That’s because we can’t imagine what God wants to do in and through us (Eph. 3:20). What a shame to keep voicing our puny prayers when God wants to do exceedingly, abundantly more! Prayer is not focused on convincing God to grant our requests. Rather, it is having God lay His heart over ours so we grasp His perspective on our situation and the amazing work He intends to do. When we align
our
will with
God’s
will, great things happen!

Prayer allows us the opportunity to present our concerns to God. Perhaps we are having difficulty communicating with our teenage son or daughter. We may be concerned about the negative impact our son’s friends are having on him. Or we may feel it is critical that our daughter be assigned a “good” teacher in the upcoming school year. Once we have voiced our concern, we must keep our spiritual senses alert to how God chooses to respond. He is fully prepared to guide us and to provide practical solutions for every need. Nevertheless, our every prayer ought to be climaxed with the earnest plea: “Not my will, but Thy will be done” (Matt. 26:39).