Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of the Episcopal Church whose mission is to create compelling content for Christian living. Since 1935 we have published the quarterly devotional Forward Day by Day, as well as pamphlets, booklets, and books that encourage and nourish people in their lives of prayer and faith.
FRIDAY, July 1 Canada Day (Canada)
Acts 9:1-9. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
Amid the noise and busyness around us, how do we discern God’s voice?
Paul’s experience was dramatic: a light from heaven flashing around him, causing him to fall to the ground, and then the voice like no other.
Most of my experiences of God have been less dramatic but include the quiet voice that is like no other. When I was a teenager despairing of the meaning of life and considering ending it all, that voice gently suggested that I could follow Christ. The voice had a strong, calming presence that drew me in. It didn’t seem to come from me, because I had not been calm or thinking about committing my life to Jesus. I could not hear it with my ears, only with my heart. The direction it offered promised a reason and the power to live. Yes, I said.
Every day let us listen for that voice that is like no other, that calls us to Christ.
In my desire to experience God I have been alternately surprised, amused, bemused, wounded, overjoyed, emptied, disappointed, misunderstood, and blessed.
—Matthew Fox
PRAY for the Diocese of Oru (Owerri, Nigeria)
Ps 140, 142 * 141, 143:1-11(12); 1 Samuel 13:19—14:15; Luke 23:26-31
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That feeling of hope has remained strong within me for the 58 years since then and has served me well.
Thank you for sharing your experience - it gave me the chance to share mine.
God not only speaks to us from within but also from without - if only we will let ourselves hear his voice.