Is That You Speaking, Lord?
“Lord, did I hear you correctly?”
I believe this is a great prayer when we think the Divine Spirit has spoken to us.
Just the other day, this was my prayer following a call to my spiritual director friend. Our conversation took a bit of a detour that day. I began explaining frustration with my resistance to dealing with a certain behavior. “Why do I do this?” I wondered aloud to my friend.
She responded, “Sue, I feel we should sit in silence for a few minutes. Would you try to imagine what Jesus may be saying to you about this resistance?” I knew that was a great question, quite typical of one a spiritual director who is sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, might ask.
As we entered the quietude of silent prayer and spiritual waiting, almost immediately, I imagined Jesus was right there waiting patiently as if I had arrived late to our important appointment. In my spirit, I heard only one sentence. More quickly than usual, I broke the silence and told my friend what just happened.
This is not what happens typically when I practice silent prayer, which is one of my most important spiritual disciplines. Even though I am convinced vital transformation occurs during silence, truth be told, usually I “hear” nothing right away.
So, how can I recognize the voice of the Lord? In the scenario I just described, here are some discernment criteria I used:
The answer I received that day resembled nothing I nor anyone else had previously planted in my imagination. A holy freshness and simplicity were in the words, and my heart resonated immediately resulting in what St. Ignatius of Loyola called the “spirit of consolation.”
There was nothing in the sentence I believe I heard Jesus speak to me that contradicted biblical teaching. Even though in this instance, I knew that to be true, there are other times when I must do some searching or speak with a trustworthy advisor. If I have any doubt, I believe spiritual restraint is the wisest response.
In view of these two factors, on this occasion, I believed I needed to answer with an unqualified “yes.” Following the conversation with my friend, I acted almost immediately upon the sentence I felt Jesus spoke. Obeying quickly helps avoid the temptation to say, “Well, YES, BUT …” When I have no doubt, “yes-butting,” a behavior to which I am prone, is unwise.
I hope these simple guidelines may be helpful to you when listening for God’s voice,
