Waiting for Lightning

So, yes, it's been over six months since my last post...I think it's safe to say that I have been just a little bit distracted by a very cute little face.

It has been great fun to watch Aliyah grow and learn...learn how to use her hands; learn how to grasp things (and stick them in her mouth); learn how to make various sounds. But my favorite is how she has learned to hear my voice say her name and recognize it. I remember the first time I said her name and she searched the room until she found me, rewarding me with a HUGE smile. Oh how my heart melted! Although my voice was known to her in the womb, she had to learn to respond to it when I called her name.

When I first got saved I had to learn to recognize God's voice. His voice was always there, and it was familiar to me, but I did not know how to tell it apart from other voices and things I heard and felt. I remember clearly when that all changed.

I became a Christian the summer before my freshman year in High School. That year I was asked to go to the prom with a friend who was a junior. I knew that I had to ask my parents first if I could even go. I did and instead of giving me an answer, my dad said, "Beth, why don't you pray about it and ask the Lord if it's ok for you to go to the prom? Do that and then we will talk about it." I took him seriously and did just that...I prayed. "God, um...can i go to the prom?" (I know, it's not elaborate and there really isn't much else to say in this case.)

After three days of waiting for an answer I started to get frustrated. I was hearing answers (yes you can go; no don't; there's nothing wrong with going; etc). I couldn't tell if what I was hearing was God, the devil, or just my own heart speaking. Finally, in exasperation I prayed a simple prayer, "Ok God, if you don't want me to go to the prom, then I want a BIG thunderstorm."

Now for those of you who do not live in the Northwest, we get a lot of rain here, but if you don't live in the foothills of the mountains, thunderstorms are rather rare. ESPECIALLY the TEXAS sized one I was asking for! I grew up in the south...tornado alley...so I know what a thunderstorm is supposed to be like and that's what I wanted. One to shake the windows on the house! A couple more days went by and one afternoon while I was in my room doing homework, I heard a familiar sound. It was afar off and I wanted to brush it off as being one of the military exercises we often heard at our home. Then I heard again...louder. Suddenly, the skies parted and there was flash an enormously loud CRACK! The storm had come! I ran out in the dining room where my dad was and with my eyes the size of saucers said, "I am not going to the prom." The storm lasted all of five minutes...no rain...no hail, just thunder and lightning.

I found out later that my dad anguished over letting me ask the Lord about it rather than just giving me the answer he already knew in his heart...that no, I could not go to the prom. He spent HOURS praying and interceding, asking the Lord to teach me His voice. His prayers were answered. From that day on, I have known the Lord's voice when He speaks to me.

A month or so later Steven Curtis Chapman came out with a song called Waiting for Lightning. The lyrics of the chorus are:

Are you waiting for lightning, a sign that it's time for a change

Listening for thunder, while He quietly whispers your name?

I swear that song was written just for me. When I heard it for the first time, my heart lept. Then the Lord spoke to me, "Beth, don't ever ask me for a sign again. My voice will be enough for you." WOW...clear as day. And His voice is enough. Every time I'm tempted to ask for a sign, I hear that song in my head and I am reminded of His voice.

So, what is the Lord telling you? Are you listening for His voice, or are you Waiting for Lightning? His voice is enough...His word is true. He is worthy to be trusted.