Recently, I was reaching for an irrigation hose on the ground, and I heard a very soft, indistinct rattle. It sounded a little like the air that escapes from a water hose when you inadvertently step on it. I froze. I checked my feet. No hose. The noise had stopped, and I briefly considered finishing my task. It was my last job of the day, and I was in a hurry to finish. For reasons I don’t fully understand, I glanced between some blue barrels and saw the body of a snake inches from where I had reached in. Calling for help, I reached Chris and his daughter Michaela who arrived with their snake catcher. I got a second look at the big monster. It had eight buttons and was very fat.
I thought about that snake the whole next day. I carried a hoe as I walked through the garden—and not just to snag a wayward weed. I watched where I stepped. I was not the same carefree (or maybe I should say careless) person I was the day before. I thanked God for sparing me. Clearly, He had shown kindness, protection, and mercy. But a thought kept bouncing around in my brain. That little rattle was an extremely subtle warning. In comparison, last year, I was watching TV with the door open, and over the noise of the show and a very large fan, I heard a rattle close to my doorstep. Smokes, the feral tomcat that we had befriended, was staring down a rattlesnake. Its warning was loud, continuous, and unmistakable.
What is God trying to teach me? As our friend, He is always trying to show us something about Himself. God often tests our hearts and our resolve so we can learn and grow—to see who we really are– and contrast that with what we might become. God’s words, His warnings, His convictions are sometimes loud and sometimes quiet. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah recognized the voice of God. It was not in the wind, or an earthquake, or the fire—all loud and unmistakable—but the Bible describes it as the still small voice of God.
So, what does the Bible says about knowing God that will help me to better recognize Him in the future?
Micah 7:7 says, “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.”
That verse has three parts, and each part says something important.
- “Therefore, I will look unto the Lord.” Do we look for God in the everyday things of our lives? How many times has He done great things for us, but because we weren’t looking, we missed it?
- “I will wait for the God of my salvation.” How important is it that we find God? Are we waiting and earnestly seeking Him? Or like me, do you sometimes get restless, in a hurry or distracted?
- “My God will hear me.” This is the part of the verse that that I repeat to myself most often, because it gives me peace. We all want to be heard, but to know that the God of creation, our Father, hears us is profound. I want to hear from God, but I find it reassuring beyond words that He clearly says He hears me.
I thank God for sparing me the pain and danger of a snake bite, but I thank Him even more that He is my Friend. I don’t really know why His voice is loud sometimes and soft others, but I know He is present, He loves and protects us, and wants to be known. Today, I want to encourage you to have confidence in God, to look for Him, to wait for Him, to know He hears you, and to give thanks when He reveals Himself.
“The One who calls you is faithful, and He also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
— Written by Jill
