{"id":7217,"date":"2013-01-16T00:05:42","date_gmt":"2013-01-16T05:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gabbingwithgrace.com\/?p=7217"},"modified":"2013-01-16T00:05:42","modified_gmt":"2013-01-16T05:05:42","slug":"when-gods-voice-doesnt-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/everydayblackmatters\/2013\/01\/16\/when-gods-voice-doesnt-boom\/","title":{"rendered":"When God’s Voice Doesn’t Boom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

~<\/p>\n

Growing up as a kid in church, I always imagined God as a big old guy on a gold throne in the clouds. He had a beard and long hair; definitely a mix between King Triton from The Little Mermaid<\/em> and Zeus.<\/p>\n

\u00a0I always imagined His voice was big and booming. Like thunder and drums and fireworks. If you heard God\u2019s voice the ground would shake underneath you. If you heard God\u2019s voice you would have no choice but to listen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But God\u2019s voice isn\u2019t always thunder. Wouldn\u2019t that make life easier if it was? What if God\u2019s voice was so clear, so audible, and so unmistakable that there was never any confusion between His voice and our own?<\/p>\n

And maybe God\u2019s voice is thunder to some people. But it\u2019s not always like that for me. Sometimes God\u2019s voice is a whisper. It\u2019s an exhale. It gets lost with all the other voices around me and within me. I wait for the drums and the fireworks and all I hear is the echo of my own voice.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0For years I thought I was just a bad Christian. What if I wasn\u2019t spiritual enough?<\/em> What if I wasn\u2019t as in tune with the Holy Spirit? People around me boasted that they heard God\u2019s voice so clearly, all the time, no questions asked. I wondered how they could be so sure. How did they know it was really<\/em> God?<\/p>\n

Maybe God\u2019s voice doesn\u2019t always have to be the loudest one to be the right one.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to think God\u2019s voice is powerful even when it\u2019s gentle.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is so much noise all around us and it is constantly competing for our attention, sending us different messages. All this noisy chaos rings in our ears and confuses us and that\u2019s when it\u2019s easy to lose focus.<\/p>\n

I have a strong sense of intuition. I\u2019m a \u201cgo with your gut\u201d type of girl. When I was deciding which college I wanted to attend, I prayed and prayed and prayed. I wanted the next four years of my life to have a deeper purpose. As I looked over the acceptance letters, there was no big, booming voice of God. There was a feeling in my gut and a sense of peace and I made a decision, hoping that this was the choice God wanted for me.<\/p>\n

When my now-husband asked me to be his girlfriend, I prayed and prayed and prayed. I wanted to make sure I was making a good decision, not settling in relationships like I had done in the past. God\u2019s voice didn\u2019t come in over a loudspeaker. There was a feeling in my gut and a sense of peace and I made the decision, trusting that God was guiding me.<\/p>\n

Maybe that is God\u2019s voice. That instinct<\/strong> that moves us forward. That intuition<\/strong> that leads us down a certain path. That gut feeling<\/strong> that we can\u2019t ignore.<\/p>\n

Maybe God\u2019s voice is more like gravity than thunder.<\/strong><\/p>\n

An undeniable force that pulls you towards His peace.\u00a0 I\u2019m assuming it\u2019s different for everyone. I wouldn\u2019t know how God speaks to anyone else but me.<\/p>\n

Loud or soft, booming thunder or soft whisper, I guess what matters most is that God speaks in the first place.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And for as long as He\u2019s willing to talk to me, I hope I\u2019m always willing to listen.<\/p>\n

~<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Alyssa Bacon-Liu is a new wife and southern California native who lives with her husband in Los Angeles. She is passionate about justice, equality, and anything sparkly. She blogs at All Things Beautiful<\/a> where she chronicles her attempts to be bold, have faith, and embrace beauty. You can also find her on Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Image Credit<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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