Will He Speak To Me?

I love the ways the Lord grows our understanding of Him over time! :) When I was little, I often wondered what it would be like to have the Lord speak to you, and could it ever happen?!? I believe I labored slightly under the delusion that the only manner in which He could speak was a sort of Samuel experience! :D You know, an actually audible voice! So I sort of figured that it would be once in a blue moon. But over time, as I have come to know Jesus better, I have discovered so many more ways He can speak to me. Most often, it comes as I am in a conversation, or reading my Bible. And generally, it has a good dose of humor in it. For example, me reading about the nation of Israel- "Good Heavens! They were so incredibly stubborn! Why couldn't they see the right way to go and just stick to it for pity's sake?!?" and then the Lord flips my question and says to me: "And you always stick to your promises, and are always as compliant as I desire for you to be?"
"Well...not exactly...but they were so stubborn!"
(At this point, I get a feeling that the Lord is looking at me in a way as if to say, "And...?" with a fond and yet earnest expression in His eyes.) By the end of this little conversation, Jesus has showed me something new, and my pride has been once again taken down a notch.
Other times, His voice just comes through a blessing, like an uncommonly cool day, or a beautiful flower. It is not an instructive voice at these times, but a brief reminder He gives as He says, "I made this for your pleasure- enjoy it, and remember Me!"
I think of the verse in John 10: "And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice." (emphasis added)
Learn to recognize our Shepherd's voice- you will be surprised how often He will speak if we will be still enough to listen! I am still learning these things, and I tend to be a busy person, always doing something. So too often I tune out the quieter voice in my heart; the only Voice that really counts. Now that is a challenge for myself as well as anyone who reads this post! :) -Rachel