holiness to intersect.
Richard Foster, in Freedom of Simplicity, suggests that you
experiment with avenues that will open you up to hearing God
speak. He also suggests that you “discover as many ways as
possible to keep God constantly in mind. ‘There is nothing new
in that,’ you may say. ‘That practice is very ancient and very
orthodox.’ Exactly! This desire to practice the presence of God
is the secret of all the saints.” 7
Hearing God Talk Requires the Commitment
of All Your Senses
One evening at dusk, I pulled into the parking lot at the local
grocery store, intending to pick up a few things for dinner. I
had just spent the last few minutes alone in the car thinking
about something sad while driving home from my office. As I
took my keys out of the ignition and jumped out of the car, I
looked up. I couldn’t help but see the most vivid red sunset,
with shades of gold and blue clouds bordering the width of the
sky. I stopped and said, “Oh, wow! God, you’re right here.
You’re so visible. Nothing is too much for you. You want my
attention. You want me to hear and see you right now. You
don’t want me to dwell on what is wrong but on those things
that are right and true and good.”
That conversation with God immediately lifted me out of my
little funk.
I took ten more steps and was standing right in front of my
dear friend and walking partner, Cindy. I hadn’t seen her
coming out of the store because I was so captivated by God.