Hearing God

Written by Courtney Lambesis on Friday of the Third Week of Lent

I want to share with you an excerpt written by an author I adore and find to be incredibly honest:

“I lived with a bunch of surfers during college in Southern California and they would describe hearing God’s voice. It often went something like this… “So I said, ‘Hey, God, what’s up with this?’ And then God said ‘Hey, dude, don’t worry about it; it’ll be cool,’’… And then they’d say back to God “No way!?” And then God said something back to them, “Yahweh” or something equally biblical.”  (Haha)

“All of this head-faked me for a while, to be honest, because when I listened for God’s voice I didn’t hear anything… So rather than spending time wondering why I don’t hear audible voices, I just try to listen harder with my heart…God doesn’t speak to me in an audible voice because God isn’t a human being; He’s God… human beings are limited and God isn’t limited at all.”  -Bob Goff, “Love Does”

I really identified with this chapter of the book, and was surprised by how consistent it is with Ignatian spirituality, which is centered around “finding God in all things.”

Throughout my life, I have struggled to feel God’s presence. I could never understand when others felt compelled to do certain things because God had “told them to.” I never felt like God was there when I would pray in groups and we would start by centering on God’s presence. I never understood when people went to mass and truly felt God was with them. It all felt fake to me…  like everyone was just acting like they felt God’s presence- or there was just something wrong with me.

This is why Bob’s chapter resonated with me so well. It’s not that God isn’t interacting with me, it’s that I was expecting Him to communicate with me in a way that only humans are limited to.

This Lenten season, I have adopted the Ignatian Examen into my daily routine. I have become better at recognizing Gods interactions with me, however small they may be. Through the quiet and peaceful mornings, to the music that resonates with my soul, to the gut feeling that I am supposed to act on something, to the things that break my heart, to the people who show me love. I have come to realize that God is ever present in my life. After all, he created this world, so why wouldn’t he use it to guide us and teach us and love us.

I pray that this Lenten season, you will not feel discouraged if you are unable to identify God’s presence in your life. Something great I have learned is that God is with us, whether or not we notice. We may look back weeks or months from now and see how God was working in our lives, but not realize it in that very moment. Until then, our job is simply to continue loving and pursuing God and each other.

Questions for Reflection:
How do you respond when you feel as though God has abandoned you?
What blessings do you notice as you go about your day?

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Courtney Lambesis
Courtney is a junior at U of M majoring in Biology and minoring in Environmental Studies. She serves as both a facilitator and member of the lead team for Small Church Communities at St. Mary’s.
Email: lambesco@umich.edu