Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
~ John 10:25-28
I encountered someone yesterday who spoke openly about her relationship with the Lord. I was impressed by her intimacy with the Lord and how he seems o be present to her every moment of the day. I became a bit disturbed though when she started telling us about her conversations with the Lord. We noticed and liked one of her home decors, a religious item, and she told us how she came upon it. She was walking in a mall once and at one point, she heard a voice. It was the Lord telling her to stop, turn right and enter the shop right before her. Then the Lord told her to look up on of the display shelves and there was the decor we noticed. She bought it. And the Lord talks to her like this frequently and on a daily basis.
I believe I have my own conversations with God. But I never hear His voice. He never tells me what to do in as clear fashion as He does to this lady. Is she imagining things? Or am I imagining things carrying on a conversation where no one hears and no one really says a word? I wrote the other day that I have this distinct feeling that I have been and still am being led all my life. I interpret people, places and events in my life as signs of God’s presence. Is this for real or am I just deluding myself? Why am I so unsettled by this lady’s experience of the Lord? Who is to say that my experience with the Lord is authentic or that her’s is not?
“My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.” How do I hear the voice of God? How do I follow Him? How do I know that what I am doing is actually doing the will of God? How do I confirm that my prayers are actually and in fact conversations with my God?
During such moments of doubt and confusion, I simply keep quiet. But for the final answer, I guess I just have to wait.