The Voice Of God

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Listen to this devotional:
 Listen while you read: "In The Garden"1  (Lyrics)

Genesis 3:8a – And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. (KJV)

I have read the PresbyCan Daily Devotional for several years now, and like everyone else, some days God uses it to really speak directly to me. Here's just such an example.

I'm an avid gardener. I find weeding particularly meditative. After all, there isn't much thought required to root among plants and pull out the ones that don't belong. One afternoon, this quiet activity was suddenly broken when I unearthed a hive of wasps at the root of the weed that I was pulling out. I was badly stung, but put it down to a natural occurrence.

The following day, while picking raspberries, a hummingbird flew up to my face and twittered as if speaking directly to me. This very unusual action was repeated several times. I was surprised and delighted to see it, but again put it down to a natural occurrence.

It was the following day that everything fell into place as God's message was revealed. I opened my PresbyCan Daily Devotional to find that the title was Hummingbirds And Wasps! Boy! Did I ever read that thoroughly! The text of it referred to the need to read the Bible regularly. I had been neglecting that in my busyness in the garden. God found a way to address my neglect directly and to guide me in the right direction. What a wise and loving Father we have!

God caught my attention in the garden, but there are other times that He calls to us. A friend is on your mind and when you phone, you discover that they really needed a comforting word. Or something tells you to drive one direction instead of another, only to discover later that there was a bad accident where you had originally planned to drive. So many people write these types of things off as a coincidence, but I believe that it is our God directing us. Listen to that small voice in your head — it is often the voice of God!

    I come to the garden alone,
    While the dew is still on the roses;
    And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
    The Son of God discloses.

    And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
    And He tells me I am His own,
    And the joy we share as we tarry there,
    None other has ever known.
           – C. Austin Miles

Find that joy in listening to the voice of God!

Prayer: Father God, we praise Your creativity and Your sense of humour. We ask that our hearts be opened to the sound of Your voice. Help us to pay attention to what is truly important for our lives and our spiritual growth. We ask this in Jesus' holy name. Amen.

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About the author:

Mary Ellen Miller <mem1955@sympatico.ca>
Hillsburgh, Ontario, Canada
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1 thought on “The Voice Of God”

  1. Wonderful! And true. Blessings.

    Your words are so true. Thank you.

    Thanks, Mary Ellen, for your words of encouragement.

    Great post and reminder, Mary Ellen! Thanks and blessings!

    Thank you for your amazing story! I love lessons from the garden!

    Amen Mary Ellen.
    Blessings.

    Thank you so much for the hymn in the Garden!
    That is my favorite song.

    Thank you, Mary Ellen, for sharing this encouraging devotional with us.
    Blessings.

    Good morning Mary Ellen,
    Very good words this morning, it is indeed good – no – a must, to read the Bible on a regular basis, thank you for the reminder.
    Blessings.

    Hello Mary Ellen,
    Thank you for mentioning our Heavenly Father’s sense of humour. I often think that is neglected by the church’s teachers and it is to our faith’s detriment.
    Blessings.

    Hi Mary Ellen,
    I don’t remember seeing your name before as a writer of devotionals. I enjoyed today’s very much, and I hope you will keep writing. May God send more hummingbirds but no more wasps into your life. Enjoy your garden and your encounters with God!

    Hello Mary Ellen: My wife and I read the Presbyterian Daily Devotional regularly. Your current message was particularly inspirational. Since we’re both naturalists, (birds, animals, flowers, and gardens), your comparisons with these and the grace of God were extremely meaningful. Thanks so much,
    (Ont.)

    Dear Mary Ellen, I so enjoyed your devotional today. It really spoke to me. I, too, realize I get so busy doing things and forget to spend more time reading and talking to God. I am reminded to listen when I hear his still small voice speaking to me.
    Thanks for sharing your devotional with us.
    (Ont.)

    So true.
    This was a lovely start to my day, and a reminder to always be receptive to the moments of quiet or unexpected occurrences in our lives. Even a gentle breeze can be a God-moment.
    Enjoyed this beautiful day.
    (Ontario)

    Hello Mary Ellen,
    Thank you for this special devotional today. Yes, we sure never know what the Lord has in mind to attract our attention to His word and His direction in our lives but is always for the best reason. I sure felt for you with that attack of wasps. Ouch! not a pleasant happening! However, that interaction with a hummingbird was sweet. Our Lord is truly good.
    Take care and blessings for your writing.

    How lovely! Hummingbirds are big “signs” for me, but also eagles (think of the references to them in the Good Book) and rainbows.
    The day I prayed to have Christ come into my life, there was a double rainbow, which I’ve seen at other times since then.
    Wishing you hummingbirds but trusting that wasps are a thing of the past!
    Blessings on your writing, hoping it gives you as much pleasure/ uplifted spirit, as it does your readers,
    (BC)

    Hello Mary Ellen
    Wow, can I identify with this devotional. Thank you for sharing and yes, bringing attention to the voice that sometimes gets passed off as a coincidence, Personally, I think that word is not a God word but a human word, there are no coincidences with God. I too, get busy and run out of time for my reading the Bible, so this devotional speaks to me today!!
    I love hummingbirds also. Thank you again for this.
    God bless.

    Dear Mary Ellen,
    I definitely was one who just marked these as coincidences for many years, until I finally understood the many different ways God is helping me in my life. Once I understood and my eyes and ears were opened, I grew closer to God and was enriched with His wisdom which improved my understanding and my faith. Sometimes the message is not as clear as yours was, but it is there if I am in God’s Word and a sure sign that God is guiding me for something I need or to reach out to others. For me, this pandemic has slowed me down and made me more appreciative of the things around me and my faith. I am also a gardener and feel close to God when I am working in the soil and seeing all the new growth and what it will become. Thank you for sharing. Blessings.

    Wonderful devotion Mary Ellen, thank you.

    Grateful for this lovely account of your connection with nature and with God our creator who helps us today, Mary Ellen. Well said! Keep writing!

    This is one of my favorite hymns and I sing it all the time when I visit the elderly providing spiritual care and chaplaincy. I love it. Thank you for your story! It touched me.

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