I don’t normally open a conversation with the two times I’ve heard God speak to me—forty percent of the people wouldn’t believe me and another 40% would probably think I’m crazy. But, that 20% left would probably know what I’m talking about. And I’m not talking about when we feel the Holy Spirit’s presence. I’m talking about a voice so distinct that you look around to see who said it.

It is impossible to tell whether it was an audible voice or just one in my head since I was alone both times. I will say, He didn’t sound like James Earl Jones. I can tell you where I was both times. The first time I was in a hospital room. The sun had not come up yet and I was reading my Bible and praying for my husband who was having surgery later that morning. Just as the sun rose over the building, a voice said, “Your life will never be the same after today.”

I knew it was God, but I wasn’t sure what He meant. My life had drastically changed over the last 3 months—New Year’s Eve I had taken my husband to the hospital, thinking he’d had a heart attack and he spent the next six weeks in intensive care with pancreatitis and then another six weeks in hospitals with the problems created by the gallbladder and pancreatitis. What if everything was about to get worse? I remember glancing down at the verse I’d been reading. Isaiah 43. I have redeemed you…I called you by name…the fire will not singe you…the water will not overcome you…I am the Lord your God…My life did change that day and for the first time in my life I was truly on my own…but not really. God was with me.

The next time it happened, I was driving home to Mississippi from Chattanooga, fretting about a problem that would come to a head the following week. A very serious problem, and clear as day from the backseat, I heard a voice say, “I told you I would take care of this. Don’t you think I can?”
Like I said, I don’t know if it was an audible voice, but I do know I looked behind me to make sure the seat was empty. And true to His word, He did take care of the problem.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s that life will not always be easy, but God will always be there during the hard times. So, if you’re struggling with a problem, take it to Him. He may not change your circumstances, but He can change your perspective, and that may be what the whole problem is all about.