Hearing & Discerning the Voice of God

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"

Then Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening."

-Proverbs 3:10

This summer, my main focus has been on hearing and discerning the voice of God. I found myself in a place where I was doubting His voice that I had heard three years ago, and didn’t exactly know how to decide if it was God speaking to me or if it was just me.

As most of you probably already know, God spoke to me at youth camp four years ago and told me to go to Nicaragua for a one-week mission trip. I knew that I had heard God’s voice, and I chose to listen; I chose to “GO.” Throughout that first trip I had to Nicaragua, God spoke to me and told me that I belonged in ministry- children’s ministry to be exact. I had to choose the calling that was placed upon my life, and that’s when God opened doors for me to become the Children’s Missions Director at my church (what a beautiful journey that has been). I knew that my work in Nicaragua wasn’t over, so I began to ask the Lord if I needed to go back the following year. He told me to go back, so I went again. That was the week where I knew that God had called me to missions. When I went back for my third time this summer, God had refreshed that calling on my life; He brought it back to the forefront of my heart. Throughout our last night, I felt the Holy Spirit urging me toward a summer internship there in the country that I have grown to love. I kept hearing Him say, “NOW is the time.” Up until that point, it had always been “Wait.” While I was 100% sure that I had, without a doubt, heard the voice of God those three times, something inside of me began to doubt that it was really His voice. While I was at youth camp, the Holy Spirit was really dealing with my heart about my call to missions and my decision to go to SAGU. We had a night where our youth pastor anointed our ear, finger, and toe. He had told us before he started that he was just going to say whatever the Holy Spirit was leading him to say. As he anointed my toe, He said, “Sarah, God wants you to stop doubting Him. You are equipped. You have everything that you need. Just GO.” I will never forget those words; they truly rocked me straight to my core. To make a long story short, my calling to missions was completed, I began to have peace about my major and college choice… all on that night. I am now living in full faith that God will financially make a way for me to start AND complete my education and spiritual journey at SAGU. Everything makes sense now, and I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life. I will be interning at King’s Castle in Nicaragua next summer: that is my big news that I can’t hold in anymore! I am still waiting to start the application process, but I have no doubt that I will be going. This is a genuine God thing, and I refuse to question the voice of God this time.

Disclaimer/elephant in the room: Yes, I am aware that my boyfriend will be spending a year at that same place. I felt like it was necessary to tell my whole story and really share my heart of what God has spoken to me throughout the whole summer. I heard the voice of God, and I am following it without any excuses. At the end of the day, I would rather follow God’s voice and call on my life, rather than be held back by my worry about what other people may think. The most important thing that I can do is to obey and listen to the Holy Spirit when I am being pushed into new waters.

As I reflect on my summer on all that God has spoken to me, I begin to think of Samuel. It took him three times to realize that he was hearing the voice of the Lord. Sometimes, we are just like Samuel. It’s not always to hear the voice of God when it is being drowned out by our doubt (that comes straight from the enemy). My challenge to you all is to follow wherever His voice is leading you. So many doors will be opened when you choose to trust and lean on the voice of the Lord no matter what.

When He speaks, You go.