The Voice of God...

Wow...where can I begin. As many of you know a friend of mine said a temporary good-bye to his wife this past Sunday due to cancer. He's a pastor on the Navajo Nation Reservation, where we've done some mission work in the past. When I got the news, I felt compelled to go - I wanted to be there to support him and show my appreciation for what he does for the Lord in a place where you aren't always welcomed with open arms. So I made my plans - I would leave Hot Springs Thursday morning at 3am to head out there, and come back Monday. Then last night happened.
I can't explain it - all I can say is that God's voice still rings loud and clear when He wants us to hear it. Last night I laid down in bed and had an strange unsettled feeling in my heart. I began to pray that if God wanted me to make this trip to Arizona (all 1025 miles) that He'd give me a peace. I love it out there, and was really looking forward to it - so you can understand my surprise when I just felt uneasy about it.
The more I prayed for peace, the more I felt uneasy. All night we went back and forth like that, and I'll give you 2 guesses about Who won...okay, maybe I gave it away with the capital "W" in Who...yes, I finally recieved my peace when I muttered the words, "I'm not going to Arizona." It was like a load off my shoulders, but I still couldn't understand why He didn't want me to go. It was a noble cause - a good reason to make the trip. Then I called my cousin Bill, who lives out there.
He totally understood! As a matter of fact, he said there's a big storm coming through that area on Saturday, according to the weather man, and he was nervous about me making the trip. Seriously? There's really bad weather predicted for the area? Yup, God's in control.
Now, I'm not a prophet OR a weatherman, so I'm not saying that Saturday the weather's going to be terrible in Fort Defiance, Arizona. I actually hope it isn't. But I can tell you this: either someone in Hot Springs needs me this weekend, or somewhere between here and there was a place He didn't want me to be. Regardless, He spoke, and I listened. And now that I think about it - if I listened this well to His voice all the time life would probably be a bit different...
When's the last time He spoke to you? Did you listen? It seems like the more we don't listen, the harder it becomes to hear Him...maybe we all need to just stop today and open up our hearts to His voice and admit we need to listen more. "Lead me Lord, I will follow. Lead me Lord, I will go. You have called me, I will answer. Lead me Lord, I will go."

That's just a thought - and I welcome yours.
Feel free to email me anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com.
Until next time,
blake