Do We Listen?

I shouldn't be here. Seriously. I should be praising my Father with the angels in Heaven. In all actuality..DS shouldn't be here either. He should be with those angels, right beside me...

But God had favor...

What happened? Let me share.

Yesterday, DS had to work at his new job. He also needed to go afterwards and pick up his check from his old job and take care of some banking, getting a tag for his car, a haircut and a few other things. He asked me to come up there and run errands with him and help him with some of those things he wasn't too sure how to do.

Of course I quickly said yes!! A chance to hang out with my 16 year old son?? Oh, I was all over that!!

Before leaving my house to go pick him up, I remembered that he needed his uniforms from his old job to turn in when he picked up his check.

Where were they??? In my son's room--that was a million dollar question!! I knew one place they weren't--in his dirty clothes basket!! So the search began...

I finally found one in his closet (with his clean clothes..)--the other one I couldn't find, nor could I find his hat.

Oh well--gotta go, we'll just have to take our chances.

As I finished doing my hair I began praying--

"God, we really need to find that other uniform and hat and only You know where it's at. Please let me know where it's at--soon."

Almost immediately God said, "The trunk of your car".

As soon as He said that, I remembered---he had changed from his old uniform to his new uniform on Friday evening and threw his old one in the trunk of my car.

I walked outside, opened my trunk and there it was--uniform and hat--just like God said.

Well, I just threw my hand up in the air and said, "Thank you Lord!!"

Why does it amaze us when God even answers prayers concerning the small stuff??? If it's big to us, it's big to God.

A little later, I was picking up DS from work and we headed to the bank. We took care of his banking and then needed to head downtown to get his car tag.

I pulled out from the bank and got stopped at the red light. I was the first car in the turning lane.

The intersection I was at consisted of two side roads that turned on to a major highway. I was on a side road, needing to turn left onto the highway.

Since the light was red, I was just looking around at the buildings and businesses and actually, for a moment, in my own little world when DS said, "Mom, you can go."

I looked up at the light and sure enough, the green arrow was lit up. My turn to go.

I gave the car some gas, went about a car length and heard God say, "STOP!" I hit the brakes and looked to my left. What I saw rattled me to the core.

A black sports car was headed east (I was turning west) and he was flying!! When I say flying, he was doing at least 80mph in a 45. As he flew through the intersection, I look across to the car turning opposite me only to see the shear terror in that driver's eyes. I looked at DS, who was clearly shaken as well.

I finally made my turn and thanked God again and again.

Had I not heard God and listened, we would have gotten hit. Little black sports car would have hit my door or the back of my car and sent us into a spin--and who knows. At the rate of speed he was going, only by the grace of God would I have survived and the same for DS.

A second made all difference--One Single Minute.

Since yesterday afternoon I've been thinking..how many times does God speak to me and I don't hear Him? Or, maybe I hear Him, but don't listen?

Small thing--a lost uniform...big thing--my life and the life of my son.

God taking care of me, speaking to me--I just have to listen.

How frustrated I get at my own children because they don't listen--how frustrated God must get at me....

The events of the last two months of our lives have really led me to be in an attitude of prayer and have put me in the Word more often. I'm convinced that is the only way to hear God. How can you recognize someone when you don't spend any time with them?

We stay so busy, with so many things vying for our attention. There is so much noise--tv, radio, conversation--that we don't sit in silence and just let God do the talking.

Yesterday was a confirmation for me, just because God has answered prayer and worked miracles does not give me the right to turn away from what He's led me into--real time with Him. And not so much time talking to Him, but time being quiet and just listening to Him speak.

DS and I were spared yesterday. For what purpose--I may never know. But one thing is for certain, I want to be able to hear God when He leads me to that purpose.

"Be still, and know that I am God!.."
Psalm 46:10a, NLT, emphasis mine

"So he said to Samuel, 'Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, 'Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.'..."
1 Samuel 3: 9, NLT, emphasis mine