God Speaks to Us in Ways We Can Hear Him

It was March 8, 2011. I'd just come home from having a colonoscopy. The weather was cruddy, and my heart was heavy. 

I was having the colonoscopy because a normal follow up in treatment for colon cancer is to have a colonoscopy on your 1 year anniversary of surgery. I'd had surgery to successfully remove a tumor in my colon the year before in March 2010, when I was diagnosed with Stage 1 colon cancer so I had to go back and have another wonderful procedure the next year.

(Colon cancer returned in my liver in 2012, but that's another story for another day.)

In March, 2011 I'd just become a NANA--a role that I've now discovered is the exact thing I was made for! I'm a much better Nana than I was a Mama! But I didn't know that yet because my granddaughter was born on February 9, 2011 and although we experience the miracle of God's goodness in the hospital during the ordeal of her birth--I was now living a nightmare.

My daughter (who was 18, about to be 19 on the 12th of March), had moved into the home of her in-laws, had married her boyfriend the week before at the JoP, and reported to me that her now-husband had declared that my husband and I would have "nothing to do" with his daughter. 

Mind you, his daughter was my granddaughter! 

I was having a problem with this. As you can well imagine. I was having a problem because my heart was broken and dreams were crashing all around me, but also because there were promises in God's Word that stood in direct contrast to what was happening to me.

Promises such as, Isaiah 44:3

‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
And My blessing on your descendants;

Isaiah 54:13, 

“All your sons (and daughters) will be taught of the Lord;
And the well-being of your sons (and daughters) will be great.

Psalm 127:3-5, 

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

You get the idea. What was happening to me was not in line with what God promised and the devil was having a heyday on the battlefield in my mind.

I was undone.

And sad...so sad. 

So when the colonoscopy came along I was looking forward to it for one reason only--that drug they give you to put you in a "twilight sleep." I'll pick the story up here from my book A Woman's Guide to Hearing God's Voice. 

"Each time I was given that 'happy sleeping' drug, I woke up feeling like I hadn't a carer in the world. This was the effect this drug ha on me (and on many other people, I'm told). On this particular day I longed for that feeling--for the things going on in my world were breaking my heart, and I longed for an escape from it even if my escape was temporary and drug-induced. (NO JUDGING!) 

However, the drug didn't work that way on that day. I guess the heaviness in my spirit was too much for that little drug. I awoke crying rather than laughing. By the time the effects of being put to sleep were wearing off (in the afternoon), I kind of wondered why God didn't allow me that one little reprieve from the heartache I'd been suffering for a year. I opened my computer, logged on to Facebook, and found this message: 

THANK YOU!! 

Hey Leighann,

I write this and should have written earlier. There is not much I can say on that, but I just didn't.

Over the years. God has put you on my mind for pray for, and in the past few months even more so. I write to share two things that may encourage you.

(Mind you, I had not heard from Karen in 30 years.)

1. You probably don't know this, but when I was 15 I was going to commit suicide. But that day I saw a friend at school (that would be you). Going to church and knowing God seemed to make her different...that is part of my testimony. I asked my parents to take me to church. They did not go, and I think they were shocked that I was even speaking to them. My dad mainly yelled at me, and my mom did little to defend me. But they took me to church and I got saved one morning--April 8, when I was 15. After attending a few months, I heard one particular Scripture--Revelation 3:20. I was shocked God loved me, I was shocked God loved me and died for me...that is the beginning of my testimony.

My parents are now strong and dedicated Christians, thanks to this turn of events, and we are best of friends now. I've wanted over the years to tell you THANK YOU. When I mentioned it to a friend, they said, "Why don't you see if she is on Facebook?" That is why I looked for you a few weeks ago.

2. I also write to say that a week or so ago, God gave me a dream about you and just asked me to pray for you. The short of it is to pray God would encourage you. I sensed He wanted you to know that He knows what's going on with you and hasn't forgotten.

Well, I could write more, but I mainly wanted to say, THANK YOU. Without your witness in high school, I probably wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be a Christian, my parents wouldn't be Christians, my niece and nephew wouldn't be Christians and countless other things (other real miracles) would not have happened as well. One life does affect more than you know. I hope you know a little more just how much now.

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Henrietta Mears. She is the lady who started age graded curriculum for Sunday school, built a retreat center, shepherded Bill Bright and his wife, and was the most influential person to Billy Graham other than his mother and wife. In short, God used her greatly. When asked at the end of her life what she would have done differently, she responded, 'I would have trusted Christ more.' I pray God continues to do more in and through your life than even you may know.

THANK YOU AGAIN!! Karen.

God used me in Karen's life many years ago and I didn't even know it. I had no idea her home life was rough or that she contemplated suicide. I didn't even know when she was saved! And I certainly didn't know that I had that kind of impact on her coming to know the LORD. But for reasons, known only to God, He determined to encourage me by waiting until March 8, 2011--over 30 years after her conversion experience--to give me that encouragement. What was so cool about Karen's message was that God used her to speak His word to me. God knew that I needed to know that He hadn't forgotten me and that He was fully aware of what was going on with me. He also knew that if I would just "trust Christ more" I wouldn't suffer so.

God speaks to us through His Word--read it.

God speaks to us through nature--explore it.

God speaks to us through other people--listen to them.

God speaks to us in ways that we know it's Him.

Trust Christ more.