The voice of the Lord

The words of 1 Samuel 3:7 really struck me as I read tonight:

They made me think of Mariah who is as yet unfamiliar with the Lord or His voice. I talked to her about it on the way home when I picked her up from a friend’s house. When I asked her if she knew how the Lord speaks she said “no” (as expected) and asked me if I knew His voice. I told her I know how He speaks to me.

I told her the story of the end of my mission asking if my effort was accepted. I told her how, until the last day of my mission I kept receiving the unsatisfying but undeniable gentle answer, “keep going” without any promise of receiving a more satisfying response. In hindsight I realize that one of my strengths is the ability and willingness to keep moving without extracting a participat promise or assurance on advance.

Later she told me, “the thing I love about your stories is that I can tell that you really feel them.” I knew that this was doing what needs to be done for her. A few minutes after that I told her that in my experience and my observations of others the Lord frequently answers all questions with “I love you” rather than a direct response to our specific questions or requests because He knows that until we really feel His love for us nothing else He could answer would hold much value.

I know that’s the thing she needs to feel before any other answers will really matter, no matter what she asks (and for now I know she’s stopped asking).