ambient noise

I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to hear the voice of God speak directly to me.  To date I haven't heard a voice booming from heaven to tell me exactly what to do, maybe one day . . .   However, I'm glad that communication with God is not limited to audible tones.  There are many ways that God communicates with us.  Some ways are through reading His Word in the Bible, through prayer or silent meditation, and sometimes through the words of a trusted friend or mentor.  In my journey on this earth I have started to learn how to "listen" to God speaking to me in one way or another (by the way, I still have a long way to go!). One way that I did not expect to hear from God was through my neighbor's radio.  Now, to help you understand what I mean by neighbor I feel obliged to tell you that the window above the head of my bed is only a few feet (maybe 5 at the most) from the 10 foot wall which surrounds our house and yard.  One of our neighbors lives literally just on the other side of that wall, so there is only 5 feet separating my window and their house.  I have learned to sleep through most of the noises I hear (like the cow asking to be milked early in the morning, the baby crying, or early morning conversations) but I continue to be wakened to the sound of their radio on most Saturday and Sunday mornings (why they don't turn it on during the week I don't know).  If there was consistency in what I heard I might have learned to block that out as well, but I've heard everything from a Tanzanian church choir singing local songs to Ryan Seacrest hosting AT 40 to a Swahili-singing Patsy Cline wannabe, so I really never know what to expect.  This past Sunday morning I was treated to a beautiful rendition of "He Leadeth Me" in English.  I have not heard this hymn in many years but it is one that I have sung so many times and the words are etched in my memory.  Even just to hear that familiar old song was comforting to me in a way.  But that morning it was also a great reminder that God is the one who is leading me.  I just need to know how to listen.  God knew that for me to hear that song at the exact time I did, that it would be not only a comfort but also a confirmation of His promises and plan for me.  Sometimes its hard to block out all the distractions keeping me from hearing His voice but when I do there is such a sense of peace that comes along with it, a peace that cannot be explained in words but one that I feel in the depth of my being.  Philippians 4:7

 this sunrise reminded me of another old hymn (which is my Grandmother's favorite) "Morning Has Broken"