According to recent data, worldwide, the number of emails sent and received daily in 2023 is 347.3 billion. Text messages follow at 270,000 texts every second. Tweets go out at 456,000 per minute, and YouTube publishers post 3.7 million videos daily.
In aggregate, the world produces 2.31 zettabytes of digital communication per week. We don’t know how many million that is, but let’s face it, it is a lot!
And though we couldn’t find the stats on global voice mails, WhatsApp reported that over 7 billion voice mails are left on their platform daily.
In the entire story of Moses (books of Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers), we did not uncover one instance of God communicating through one of the abovementioned feeds. Instead, He spoke through the fire of a burning bush.
This all leads us to ask the question; how does God communicate with us today?
For us, God channels His message through His creation, our prayer and meditation time, the reading and studying of the Bible, circumstances, and the spoken words of others he puts in our path.
None of this works, of course, without us paying attention and intentionally listening. If Moses had blown by the scorching shrub and focused on something, anything else, he would have missed the miracle of the message. If we hurry along, absorbed only by the noise delivered by life, we fail to hear the whispers (and shouts) that our creator is trying to communicate.
When we train ourselves to open up to His touches and be aware of all that is unfolding around us, we can learn to differentiate the clammer and clutter from His guidance and direction. When we stop manufacturing head racket and start embracing soul silence, we begin to take steps toward understanding His plans and will.
Like anything worthwhile, progress in this area calls for a heightened level of commitment and ongoing dedication. Learning to be God-observant requires openness to change and certain self-discipline. Forming the habit takes time and effort, but the payoff is well worth the investment.
A beginning can be as easy as setting aside eight minutes at a time. Three to four minutes where we talk to God, simply letting Him know what's on our hearts and minds. Then, being quiet for three to four minutes, merely listening. Listen to the inner voice. Listen for His murmur. Pay attention to the heart – that internal gauge of truth.
Move through the day connected. Be aware of what is happening everywhere. What is being said? What is not? Where is God in the moment? If we seek, we will find. (Matthew 7:7)
We don’t wait for an email that will never come. We heart-talk and wait for His reply. We absorb His creation. We listen to His people. We live to draw closer to the source.
If peace is the pursuit, then communication is the key.
Accept that message!
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from asweunderstandhim.coffee podcast “Rooted Week 3 "How does God speak to us?" with Jim The podcast dropped on 8/27/2023. Click here to hear the podcast.
Photo by Stephen Phillips - Hostreviews.co.uk on Unsplash
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