I am constantly second guessing myself. As a person who likes to think things through (and through and through and through) and always be right (which rarely actually happens), I often find myself making a decision and then saying, “No, wait. Maybe it’s not that great. Maybe I should choose the alternative.” Then I choose the alternative and think, “No, wait. Maybe I had it right to begin with. Is it too late to change my mind?”

Needless to say, it’s rather exhausting to be inside my head. Be thankful you’re not there.

I find myself also “second guessing” when it comes to hearing from God. Now, He has never actually audibly spoken to me. Trust me, if He had, you would have known about it. I’d either have shouted it from the rooftop (literally, if I could find a ladder tall enough, and I wasn’t so scared of heights) or I would have passed out from pure shock and someone would inevitably have taken a picture of that sight and posted about it all over facebook and instagram (can we do anything anymore without having it on social media?!).

In the Gideon study by Priscilla Shirer, she talks about how God often speaks to us through the disguise of the ordinary. In the book of Judges chapter 6, it says that the “Angel of the Lord” (A.K.A., God) came to Gideon and appeared to him while he was beating out wheat in the wine press. God came and spoke to him while he was doing an ordinary task. A task that was not spectacular. A task he probably did every single day.

Oftentimes, I think that maybe God is telling me something, but then I second guess myself (like always) and convince myself that it wasn’t Him at all and that I shouldn’t do whatever it was I thought He told me to do. I have been living under the misconception that I won’t hear from God until I am doing something big and extraordinary or that when He does talk to me it will be audible or through some crazy, undeniable sign like a burning bush. Now, don’t get me wrong. He’s God. If He wants to talk to me through a dog or appear to me through a burning cereal box, He will (and that would be totally awesome, and I would probably pee in my pants).  But, I think more often He speaks to us in and through the mundane tasks of our everyday lives.

So if it’s not through some unbelievable yet undeniable sign and it’s not audible, how can we know that we are hearing from Him? How can we know that it is truly God directing us to do something or say something?

There are two things that I believe can help us with this - read His Word and pray.

Seems elementary of me to say, but there is one thing I know to be certain. The more time I spend with someone, the better I know them. After spending years getting to know some of my very best friends and investing a lot of time into those relationships, I can know without asking them what they will say about a particular subject, the choice they will make with certain decisions, and I can easily recognize their voice and laughter (even if they’re at the other end of the building). This is the same thing I can have with God. I just have to be willing to invest in my relationship with Him.

One day a few months ago, I had a freak out moment. Something was going to change in my life and it was going to disrupt my “normal”. I was terrified. I had just gotten life under control (ha, I laugh at myself. Who actually has their life “under control”?!), and I was so afraid that this change would ruin everything. I panicked. I didn’t know what to do, so I just got in my car and went for a drive. I cried out to God through my tears but felt like I was getting no response (anyone else ever been there?).

Since I felt like I wasn’t hearing from Him, the next best thing I could think of was to send a text to my best friend (because when I’m flipping out, waiting in silence just isn’t my thing… impatient much?).

Her response was simple.

“Gabbi, God did not give you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. He works everything for our good and His glory.”

So simple. So true.

I realized something that day. He comes to us in such simple ways at times (most of the time for me). I find Him the most and am more confident in knowing I hear Him when I have spent time with Him in prayer and in the Bible. Just like my friend’s response, our answers can always be traced back to His Word.

We may not see His mouth moving, but He is always speaking.

No more guessing for the 1st or 2nd or hundredth time. “My sheep recognize my voice,” the Shepherd says (John 10:27 MSG).  We just have to listen.