For those who desire to hear the voice of God...

About a year ago, I was deeply struggling with my faith. As I said in the last article, my grandparents had just passed away a few months before this and I was still kind of swimming in my grief.

My friends obviously knew what all was going on with me during this time, and I was SO grateful for them because they were going out of their way to make me feel a little okay.

To name one specific example of how a good friend comforted me, my roommate not only sent me cards and prayed for me during this time, but she also sent me a song she thought would bring me a little comfort and peace during this difficult time. And this song absolutely helped changed my perspective on things.

The song is called Voice of God and by Dante Bowe. Listen to the song as soon as possible and pay attention to the lyrics! Here are the lyrics:

I can hear it in the crackle of a bomb fire

And I can hear it in the middle of the ocean water

Oh, I just can't explain, but it makes me wanna cry

And I can hear when the rain falls on my windowsill

On a playground where children's laughter lives

Oh, I can't explain, but it makes me wanna cry

And I can hear it in the busy New York city streets

And I can hear it in the country Georgia fields of green

Oh, I can't explain, no, but it makes me wanna cry

It sounds like grand-momma, telling you where you come from

Said it's kind of like laughter, out of the mouths of your loved ones

Or catching up with an old friend, reminiscing on back when

It's like a summertime sprinkler, street side with my ice cream cone

Said it sounds like a choir, singing hymns hallelujah

It's the voice of God, it can make a grown man cry

And I can hear it on the wind of an early morning.

When the fog is getting thick and the birds are chirping

Oh, it's just something I can't explain, no, but it makes me wanna cry

And I can hear it in the hush of a midnight hour

When I'm alone in my room if I'm going under

Oh, I just can't explain, no, but it brings me back to life

It's like the sound of a newborn baby crying

Like the final breath of a loved one passing

Oh, it's a beautiful day, yeah. 'Cause it leads me to the light

It's like a drive-through movie, small town with a big screen

Like grilling out in the front yard, sometimes it's the simple things

Like storytelling with my grandpa, he was so easy to believe

Like when the sun it goes up, yeah, sometimes it's better when the sun comes down

'Cause there's just something about the moonlight

And it can make you feel all right

Oh, it's the voice of God, and it can make a grown man cry

My roommate sent me this song one evening so I started listening to it a couple hours later. And as I’m listening to the song, I hear the lyrics, “sounds like grand-momma, telling you where you come from.” And when I heard that lyric, I broke down crying in my bedroom because of how realistic and accurate that lyric was. When my Grammy told me any story about her life or our family, she was telling me about where I came from. And I asked a lot of questions about her life, or what it was like dating my Pawpaw, or stories about her family members. And I am so glad I did because I cherish those conversations so much.

“Said it's kind of like laughter, out of the mouths of your lovеd ones” – The amount of joy I experience when I am with my family is ridiculous. I love it when my big family is able to get together for an evening and eat a meal, or play with all the little kids, or just laugh and talk about life.

“Or catching up with an old friend, reminiscing on back whеn” – When I heard this lyric, I immediately called one of my best friends from high school, who I normally only see once every few months. This lyric made me realize how much joy I have when I am with my oldest best friend from 6th grade. When we are together, all we are doing is laughing, and catching up on life, and reminiscing about our time together in middle and high school. I love meeting up with her so much.

“And I can hear it on the wind of an early morning. When the fog is getting thick and the birds are chirping” – Some days, I’ll just accidentally wake up early in the morning, especially in the summertime because I’m so used to waking up at 6am every day during the school year. And when I get to witness those early mornings before the sun is up, I feel so much peace and contentment. I love seeing the fog and I love hearing the birds sing and I love how cool the breeze feels in the morning. It’s like time stands still in the morning and you can just rest.

“And I can hear it in the hush of a midnight hour. When I'm alone in my room if I'm going under” – There have been plenty of times in my life when I have been lying in my bed at night, unable to sleep. And there have also been plenty of moments where something unwanted was keeping me up – worries, classes, friendships, grief, etc. But these are moments where I know God wants me to pray to Him and these are prime opportunities to do just that. And we can rejoice in the fact that God sometimes gives us a time to talk to Him without any distractions.

“Like the final breath of a loved one passing” – This lyric destroyed me. But joy can be found in a child of God moving onto eternal life in Heaven with God.

“Like storytelling with my grandpa, he was so easy to believe” – One of the stories I remember most from my Pawpaw was the story of how he met my Grammy and what dating was like for them. I listened to that story probably ten times, but I LOVED listening to it.

What do all of these stories have in common? In all of these moments, I found joy.

I found joy when my grandparents told me stories about their lives. I find joy when my family and I are laughing and eating together at dinner parties, or when I go to Applebee’s with my best friend from high school and catch up on life. I find joy when I wake up early in the morning and when I can’t fall asleep at night.

I know that any time there is joy in my life, God is there. And for those who are continually joyful, praise God for your joy!

A preacher once told me that if you write down moments when you experience joy 3 times a day for 30 days, you will eventually notice a pattern with how God gets in touch with you daily.

I encourage you to look for little moments throughout your day that give you joy. Write those moments down in your journal and look back on them and see how God appears daily in your life. The voice of God is sweet, and sometimes it can be loud, but often, His voice is still and small.

Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”