Caller ID

Ahhhh the old caller ID. Don’t know if I should love it or hate it, praise it or curse it, kick it or kiss it. On the one hand, it’s a blessing when a solicitor or bill collector calls. On the other hand, I seem to have more of my calls going to voice mail since it came out. Now, who wouldn’t want to talk to me?!?

I do know, If I didn’t have caller ID, it would be pretty difficult when I was speaking to someone who just thought I should know who they were without informing me, even though we don’t talk but once a year or so. Here's a tip; never let them hear you sweat. Just keep talking until a clue is given or until they say “You don’t know who I am do you?” I also know, that if I didn’t have caller ID it wouldn’t be that big of a deal when it came to friends, family and frequent callers. I know their voices right away-we talk a lot.

What if Jesus didn’t have caller ID? Would it be difficult or easy for us? Didn’t know God had caller ID? Sure He does! It’s Sunday morning, we just finished singing the last song of worship, the worship leader pauses and waits, waits for the caller ID, for that one or two regulars to say…“Thus saith the Lord”. Or...Sunday morning again, this time it is the preacher who says “God told me…”. I mean that is why we hire a minister right? To find out what God is saying and tell us? Just like Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness., but that is another topic for another day. Maybe our caller ID is in the form of reading a book where someone tells their story of where they heard God. Or we run into a very spiritual person who just “reads our mail.” There are quite a few forms of Jesus' caller ID out there.

But what if Jesus didn’t have caller ID? What if we had to recognize His voice without “Thus saith the Lord”,or “God told me…”? Jesus told us all several times in John 10 that His sheep know His voice. If I didn’t have His "caller ID", would I still know His voice? If someone wasn’t telling me it was God speaking, would I know it myself because I know His voice? When is the last time Jesus told you something personal? When is the last time you had a conversation with Him like you would with a friend,and you didn’t just talk at Him, but you heard Jesus talk back? Because it really isn’t that difficult! Religion makes it difficult. Our adult brains make it difficult. For some reason many tend to believe prayer has to be a big event, or something we have to work up, but it’s not true. To be honest, I don’t like most prayer meetings for that reason. However, I love hanging out with Jesus. Speaking and listening to Him. It’s just the hype and controlled environment that I struggle with.

My suggestion? Hearing God's voice just takes practice. Simply start. Ask Jesus right now what His perspective is? What He thinks about you or a current situation, and then be quiet. Listen. Look around you. Open up the Bible and start reading somewhere asking God if you fit in that passage of scripture somewhere. There are many ways He speaks, we just have to be looking for them. So turn on the radio, maybe He will play a song for you and your situation. Look at the billboards, see the sights around you and God luck!