The Man in White
“Have you ever had a dream of a man in white?”
The tired widow look up through her dusty hijab and confidently responded “yes I have!” but the expression in her eyes seemed to ask “how could you have known that?”
My team and I had been delivering food baskets to poor families in a war torn part of the Middle East when we met this woman. She had recently lost her husband and was living in poverty and fear with her three young boys. As we sat on her dusty, dirt covered patio in the dry heat, one of my teammates felt very strongly from Holy Spirit that she had pain in her knees. When we asked the widow if this was true, she responded that there was so much pain climbing stairs was nearly impossible!
“Jesus we know that you are Healer, so we declare healing over these knees right now in Jesus name” we prayed with our hands on her knees. The widow got up, looked confused… and then excited as she walked up and down the stairs completely pain free. God had instantly healed her!
Then Holy Spirit gave us another nudge and we asked about her dream of a man in white. She told us through a translator, “A man dressed in glowing white with very bright eyes came to me and told me that I dont need to worry anymore and that He will open doors for me. ”
We excitedly showed her Revelation 2:18- “The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.” And Revelation 3:20- “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
“that is Him!” the widow exclaimed. When we asked if she wanted to open the door of her heart to Him, just as He promised to open doors for her, she immediately said yes. That day she stepped from darkness into light, from fear into victory. Weeks later when we checked in on her she told us “the fear that I had before has never returned”
My sheep hear My voice.
John 10:27
God Who Speaks
Our world today is chaotic and full of darkness and noise, so learning to hear God’s voice in the midst of it has been one of the most amazing parts of following Him! Hearing God’s voice in a powerful way isn’t just for widows in third world countries… it can be part of your story too. In fact, whether you know it or not, I’m sure it already is a part of your story.
You dont have to go far to read, hear, and even see how God speaks to His children all over the world. The Bible, from front to back, is about God finding ways to commune with His people.
In the Bible
He spoke to the crowd at Jesus’ baptism through a dove and audible voice (Matthew 3:13-17), to Moses through the burning bush (Exodus 3), to Old Testament kings and nations through prophets, to Mary through an angel (Luke 1:26-38), and even to Balaam through a donkey (Numbers 22:21-39).
In the world today
In the Muslim world, God speaks mostly through dreams and visions. Tribal nations like the Aboriginal people can see spiritual beings as we see physical ones. One Aboriginal child told me that he got lost in the woods and Jesus appeared and showed him the way back to the main road.
In my personal experience, God has mostly spoken to me through pictures and thoughts in my mind, and I have grown to recognise which thoughts are from Him and which are my own. He has also spoken to me through music and nature and other people! I have even noticed when patterns start to emerge in my life, it’s usually God trying to say something!
God is infinite, so His ways of interacting with His children are infinite!
Created for connection
We, as humans, are spiritual beings. We have a deep desire to connect to spiritual realities that we can’t always see. This is why people flock to religions and gurus and meditation… we were wired to connect with something beyond the physical. God made us this way… so that we can connect with Him!
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
God’s will for us is a constant connection with Him! Prayer isn’t just telling him what we want, it is a two way conversation. Just how you talk to a friend! When He tells us to pray, He is inviting us into friendship and partnership with Himself! Our very purpose in life is to live a life of joy in His presence.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love… I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
John 15:9, 15
As we learn to recognise God’s voice we can be guided, corrected, protected, comforted by God! He can also begin to use us to love and bless others when we are sensitive to His guidance.
Recognising His voice
What many people label as “intuition” or that “gut feeling” really is Holy Spirit. It takes practice and faith to learn to hear Him. Sometimes it’s loud and obvious and sometimes it’s just a small whisper.
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by”. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
1 Kings 19:11-12
But one thing is always true about the way God communicates to us: He will never speak something that goes against His own character. He is a God of steadfast love and abundant mercy (Ps 25:6-7). If you hear anything that is shameful or harmful to you or others, it is not from the Lord. Rebuke those things in Jesus name.
So whether God speaks to you through an audible voice or a dramatic vision or just a feeling of peace that surpasses understanding, you were made to commune with Him and He can’t wait to share His heart with you, His beloved child.
Take a minute to sit in silence and ask Him to speak. He will.
God bless and have a g’day y’all!
-Nicci