I'd ignored it once, but I couldn't ignore it again. The noise coming from my car was getting louder at highway speeds. This time, I wasn't driving around town. I was on a road-trip...just me and my basset hound. I had a choice. Ignoring the freight train that had hitched itself to my compact care was no longer an option.
Often, I tend to continue with my daily routines sensing that something is amiss, but I rationalize it away. Prolonged disappointment at work. Fuzzy boundaries in relationships. Even emptiness in ministry. Many times, God uses these noises to get my attention. Sometimes I recognize His voice immediately. Other times, it takes much longer. When faint whispers grow into blaring freight trains, eventually I realize God has been speaking to me all along.
Through this car trouble experience, I uncovered eight keys that are helping me to act on God's attention-getters in my life - whether I'm sensing a whisper or facing a freight train.
8 KEYS TO TUNING INTO GOD'S SIGNALS
1. Renounce the rationalizations.
Before my vacation, I had already heard the noise coming from my car twice. I shook it off both times, convinced it was just my imagination. A week later and several hundred miles away from home, the noise had worsened. My rationalizations shriveled as I passed every mile marker. I was in danger. I should have listened.
God lovingly - and repeatedly - warns me when I am approaching harmful situations. When I rationalize, I tell God I recognize His voice, but I prefer not to listen to Him. I'll be fine. Deep down, I know He is speaking to me, and I recognize His voice (Jn. 10:27). But I rely on my own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6). With each rationalization, I inch closer to danger.
2. Request God's direction.
As I drove on, I prayed. God reminded me of my 100,000-mile warranty and roadside assistance. I called my mechanic and he urged me to find a safe exit where I could have the car serviced at the appropriate car dealer. He did not tell me why, but he told me what to do. I needed to stop.
Oftentimes, I don't know what to do about the noise, but God always does. I know I can approach Him at any time, and He won't find fault with me (Jas. 1:5) - even when I've allowed the faint whisper to grow into a blaring freight train. He might not give me all the details I would like, but He promises to reveal Himself (Jer. 33:3). Usually, He wants me to stop heading in the same direction - under the same conditions - to a place of healing and restoration in Him.
3. Resist the urge to give up.
I couldn't find the car dealer I needed. I scanned the exits as I drove, but nothing. Maybe I can make it home like this after all. I knew I couldn't take the chance. Obedience required me to go out of my way. To be inconvenienced. To fall behind on my self-imposed schedule. I could quit, but with God's help, I would obey. "Father, help me to get to Valdosta. I promise to take care of the problem, but please help me to make it."
It isn't easy to confront the noises in my life. The more I want to obey God, the more difficult it becomes. Sometimes living with the noise appears easier than confronting it. Obedience stretches me. When I want to quit - or to ignore the noise just a little longer - I reaffirm my commitment to obey God and confess that I can't face the problem without Him (Phil. 4:19).
4. Rely on godly friends.
As I prayed and scanned the billboards for potential exits, I remembered Heather. My Alabama friend could not possibly help me or so I thought. She could pray for me. To my surprise, when I called her and explained my situation, she said, "Daphne, let's find you a car dealer on my computer." Heather gave me directions to the nearest care dealer and promised to pray for me as I drove. She even requested an update when I arrived at the car dealer. I kept going, knowing she would ask me about it sooner or later.
I need godly friends to help me confront the noises that awaken me out of my harmful routines. Where I am weak, my friends are strong (Eccl. 4:9-12). They help me to bear the load (Gal. 6:2). They pray for me, and I can count on them to ask me about my struggles consistently, firmly, and lovingly (Jas. 5:16).
5. Relinquish control.
After driving two hours, I knew I'd brought the car to the right place. I described the noise to the clerk, and now I was willing to hear his evaluation of the situation. But the clerk wouldn't take control -- until I gave it to him. "We'll need the keys," he said. I fumblingly removed them from my keychain and handed them over. My job was done. I could rest while he went to work.
My stopping point becomes God's starting point. Only God can truly evaluate the noises in my life. I risk staying in the same situation if I don't hand over the keys and demonstrate my trust in Him to help me confront whatever noise I'm facing. He works best when I yield my control over to Him (1 Sam. 12:16).
6. Release myself to the restoration process.
The inspection uncovered that the wheel bearings on my care were failing. I shouldn't have made it the two hours I'd been driving, and by the mechanic's evaluation, I wouldn't have made it the additional four hours to Central Florida. He had one passenger-side wheel bearing in stock that day, and he stood awaiting my answer. Immediately, I was aware of God's infinite grace and mercy toward me. "Okay," I replied.
As I release myself into God's hands, He reveals to me the seriousness of the noise. Only then do I truly grasp the extent of the danger to myself - and possibly those around me. Once God exposes the reason for the noise, He waits for my decision. He won't restore me without my permission. I choose to be restored.
7. Realize the costs.
I went for a short walk with my hound. I waited. Indoors. Outdoors. Indoors, again. After awhile, the clerk returned, dangling the keys in front of me. "Drive safely," he said. "Is that it," I asked. "It's all taken care of," he boasted. I was free to go - but only after I'd let go.
The restoration process will cost me. Time. Money. Even relationships. And not once or twice, but throughout the journey. At the appointed time, God will complete the good work He has started in me (Phil 1:6). Only when He removes the baggage, am I truly free to move forward.
8. Resume the journey with rejoicing.
I thanked the clerk for his help, smiled at my hound, and said, "Let's go for a ride." We hopped in the car and headed toward the Interstate. I could hear life around me again. The journey was peaceful - and pleasurable.
Only when I've taken the time to confront the noises in my life, can I resume the journey freely and joyfully. God makes the journey sweet again (Ps. 30:11).
Looking back, I now understand how God has used this car trouble to help me become more sensitive to the noises in my life. In all, I'm grateful for His attention-getters. He understands that sometimes all I need is a whisper. But at other times, only the blaring freight train will do.
~ By Daphne Eilein Landers
