He Speaks in a Still Small Voice

Putting your trust in another human being sometimes takes a giant leap of faith. But placing your trust in the Creator of the universe requires just a mustard seed of faith.

Jesus said in Luke 17: 5-6: “For truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

I can’t honestly testify I’ve heard the audible voice of God speaking into my circumstances and my impossibilities. But I can attest to experiencing impressions that filter through to my heart and lead me along a path that requires trust, patience and faith in my Maker.

For me, those impressions are God “speaking” directly to my heart. A compassionate, merciful and doting dad who only wants what’s best for his daughter. One such example when I felt that undeniable impression unfolded for me four years ago. I was facing an overwhelming financial hardship.

That still small voice that penetrated the crevices of my heart followed almost immediately on the heels of a stressful situation that would have plunged me deeper into debt. A hailstorm had damaged the roof of my townhouse. Thinking my HOA would cover a new roof, I soon discovered that was not the case. I would need to rely on my homeowner’s insurance to pay my portion (nearly $5,000) to cover the cost of a new roof for the four units in my building. My deductible: $5,000.

For me, a single mom, making modest wages, coming up with that sum of money would have been impossible without securing a loan. The HOA letter set a two-month deadline for paying my portion or face a lien on my property if I fail.

As I sat at my dining room table, digesting the HOA directive, I heard God whisper to my heart: “Trust me. I don’t want you to lose any sleep over this. I got this.”

For the most part, I did trust and I did believe that still small voice. However, there were moments when my tendency to be in control overrode my belief system and cast me into a cesspool of doubt and fear. While struggling in the mire of temporary insanity, I considered ways I might secure the money. Get a personal loan. Withdraw my retirement benefits and take a penalty. But at every turn, an obstacle got in the way that prevented my action and that still small voice reminded me: “Trust me. I’ve got this. I don’t want you to worry.” And so, I surrendered once again.

During those momentary bouts of worry and anxiety, I learned to surrender quickly and peacefully. With surrendering, peace settled like a soft silk blanket over my shoulders.

My deadline was just a week away. “I’m not worried,” I told myself. “God’s got this.”

And then days before the deadline, a good friend calls and invites me for coffee. It was something we often did; meet for lattes and recount how the year before God aligned our pathways so they’d cross. It was definitely a God thing.

As we chatted over coffee, I shared with him my predicament. A small smile began to form at the corners of his mouth as he simultaneously slid a piece of folded paper across the table toward me.

“What’s this?” I asked and opened. My eyes grew wide and filled with tears as I peered down at a check written to me for $7,000. “There’s no way I can accept this,” I blurted.

He told me that God put on his heart to satisfy a need for a good friend. He had sold a property above his asking price and he felt led to bless little ol’ me.

“You have to take this or I won’t be doing what God asked me to do,” he said. “I am blessing you because God blessed me. He asked me to bless you.”

The check was for far more than what I needed. My good friend reminded me that God always bles

ses above and beyond what we could have ever imagined or hoped for if we trust Him in our valleys.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

The lessons learned in that experience were far-reaching. Not only did I learn to trust that still small voice but I came to realize how we must allow others to bless us when God calls upon them to do so even if we feel undeserving or it makes us feel awkward. If we somehow sabotage or refuse to allow someone to bless us, we are making it impossible for them to obey the Creator who commanded the blessing in the first place. We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And so, we must put aside our pride and accept the blessing however God chooses to deliver it.

When we trust in our Father, we open the pathway to a potential miracle. If He would do that for me, He would do it for any of His children.

Faced with a circumstance with an impossible resolution? Open your heart, be still and know that He is God. And He longs to be our Champion, our Savior, our Refuge and our Safe Place. If we’ll let Him.