Friday, October 2, 2015

God in the Grocery Store?


          That is a crazy idea! I didn’t know if it was from me or from the Lord. Lord is that You?
      
          I walked around the empty grocery store. I had just come from my Bible study teacher/mentor/friend’s house. Her sweet husband of many years was home and on hospice care. They did not give him many days to live. Earlier in the day, I went to her house to see if there was anything I could do to help and was glad she asked me to run an errand for her so she could stay by his side.
          Now I was on my way home to my husband and young kids and stopped by the store to grab some milk and things for breakfast.
          That’s when the thought popped into my head.
“Offer to spend the night at her house.” 
          It was clear and distinct. It was so clear it almost sounded like it was said out loud. It wasn’t though. It must be my mind making things up. The more I walked around the aisles the stronger the thought became.
“Offer to spend the night at their house.”
          Was this my thought or was this the Lord? I didn’t know. I started talking back to the Lord (never a good idea!). “Lord, if this is you, this is a crazy idea. She is not going to want me to spend the night at her house. Her husband is on hospice and lots of people have been over to see them.
Still, the thought persisted.
          They have many life long friends checking in on them, if she wanted someone to spend the night, it would be one of them.  ---The thought was firm, and I couldn’t shake it.
          I decided to test and see if this was the Lord, or just my own thought.  I would call my husband and run it by him. He would definitely think it was a crazy idea. He would not want me to spend the night there, plus he would have to take care of the kids alone if I did that. He would be the filter, if he thought it was a crazy idea, I would know it was my own thought and not what God wanted me to do. I turned down the frozen food aisle and called him.
          “Hey, I had this thought that I should call and offer to spend the night at their house. What do you think?”   I knew there was no way he would think it was a good idea.
   “Sure, go for it!” he said. “If that is what you think the Lord wants you to do.”
          I was shocked. It was weird that he would agree so readily.
          I knew I had to call my friend. It was an out-of-the-box offer, and I was sure she would decline. Who offers to spend the night at someone’s house like this? But the thought was strong and I would not have peace until I obeyed. Her response to me was not as important as my response to what I knew now was the Holy Spirit.
          I stopped my cart in the baking aisle and dialed my friend’s number.
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Have you ever had a thought come to you and wondered if it was your own thought or the Lord?   Click here for Part 2.
“As soon as they hear me, they will obey me." Psalm 18:44

23 comments:

  1. ooh! I want to know what happened! Great post on hearing God's voice ... love that your husband was encouraging to move forward!

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    1. Thanks Dianne! I like using him as a filter, since he is pretty tuned in to the Lord ---and can tell if it is just my own crazy thought. :)

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  2. I have had thoughts like that! I can't wait to see what happens next :).

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  3. Cliffhanger lol. I have had that happen before, and it's funny how we almost talk ourselves out of it. That was just me, that couldn't have been God speaking so clearly lol.

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    1. Lol Melissa! I didn't mean to do that, it's just that my posts are too long, so I thought it would be better to break them into 2 parts, instead of having a 1000 word post. haha! ---And, I'm sure it is not that I am long winded when I tell a story. 😜 ---And bonus, I'm all set for tomorrow!

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  4. Way to leave us hanging! I've had strong thoughts like that too and I've not once had to regret listening (even though, like you, I struggled with God over it first). God bless!

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    1. Yes and I don't want to presume to hear God and say, 'God said this and God said that.' I really want to discern if it is Him or not.

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  5. Yes I have had thoughts like this often! I can't wait to find out what happens.

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  6. We do wonder if it's God speaking, don't we?! Love the cliff-hanger effect; now, for the "rest of the story"!

    Can't wait to keep reading your posts during this journey, Robyn!

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    1. Thanks Barbara! I didn't mean to do that, but my post was just too long. Bonus is I am all set for tomorrow. :)

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  7. With bated breath, I wait. BUT I have a sneaky suspicion I know how this ends! I'm learning to recognize that voice and often "if it's odd, it's God!" He likes us to help Him do amazing things. He doesn't need us but He likes when we are involved - it means He trusts us. That's a really big deal.

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    1. Thanks Susan! I like that' if it's odd, it's God.' So true, because His thoughts are not like our thoughts, and we know we didn't think of it ourselves if it is odd or way out there.

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  8. Just like I said today- Offer something specific! Good for you!!
    I also love the idea of using a husband or a trusted friend to act as a buffer/confirmation!

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    1. I thought of this as I read yours today also Michele. And yes, a filter is really good for confirmation.

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  9. Can't wait to read the rest of this!! It's a blessing that you are in tune enough with the Spirit to hear Him when He chooses to speak to you.

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    1. I don't know about that. I am learning more and more as I grow in my walk with Him and read His Word. --This time it was so odd, and such a clear and strong feeling, I had to check it out.

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  10. Robyn, you have a beautiful way of keeping us on the edge of our seats! Love it!

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    1. Thanks Christy! Now you have to come back tomorrow. :)

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  11. ugh! went self hosted and haven't figured out how to post from wordpress that way. homeskoolmom.com :)

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  12. It is always so cool the way God talks to us and then confirms it through someone else. I love the way He works!

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    1. Me too Cherie! I think we all need confirmation from the Bible, other Believers or the circumstances.

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