Voice of God

I never heard the rest of it, my mind stopped right there. I could not believe what I was hearing, Did he mean, two physical angels...two imaginary angels, was all this real? God and His heavenly spirits contacting us humans in a direct fashion... this is impossible.

You see I had been brought up a Catholic in the old Pre-Vatican experience. God was up in the heavens and only cared about us if we did something wrong and then He was unerring in His direct and unmerciful punishment. In those days I was still very denominational oriented, and in my view God was definitely Catholic

When I had heard the above message, I had just arrived a day or two before at a Benedictine Monastery in Pecos New Mexico. That morning the Abbot David Gaerets had asked if I would like to join his monks for their morning discussion session.

He opened the conversation with the above sentence, which had put me in such a state of disbelief and shock, "Last night I awoke and as two angels were praying over me I was thinking..."

How could anyone say such a thing. I knew that God didn't want to connect with us directly and especially people like me who was full of good solid Catholic guilt. In fact I had been so convinced of how bad I was by the time I reached grade four I decided to give up, as I was surely doomed to hell, and try as I might I couldn't seem to live up to the expectations of the church and the judgments it seemed to bestow upon every move or thought I had.

My next surprise came when later at the monastery we were taking a course in Spiritual Direction from an Anglican minister, Reverend Morton Kelsey. During one of his lectures he told of how God would wake him up at four in the morning to talk with him. So one day he asked God, "Why do you always wake me at four in the morning?" To which God said, "Because this is the only time I can get your attention."

Now this was too much. Not only were angels talking to our Abbot, a Catholic, but now I'm hearing that God speaks directly to people, even Anglicans! Give me a break!

It Really Happens

This was just the beginning of surprises in store for me. Shortly after this last event, I was walking along a road with a stray dog I had just made a friend of. Of course I was still carrying my load of Catholic guilt.

Suddenly the dog took off after a passing truck. He began barking at its wheels. I yelled, "Come back! Come back" Then an audible voice went off in my ear and asked, "Why are you yelling at the dog?" "Because I'm afraid it might be hurt."

Then I heard the most astonishing words I had ever heard…

"And that is exactly how I feel about you and sin. Nothing you have ever done has hurt me, but it's what you have been doing to yourself that concerns me. "

Wow! This was just too much. Not only is God concerned about me, but He also isn't judging me. He just wants me to be happy, and to only do those things that are in my best interest.

Out of this came the beginning of my transformation that comes from a direct word or revelation from God. Since then I have been hearing from God in many ways and at different times in my life. But none has had such a lasting impression as the first time He spoke directly in my ear.

Because of this I have over the years been hearing stories from others who have also had the good fortune to have God speak directly to them, or reveal Himself in such a way that it was beyond what they would normally imagine. Usually this was a transformational experience that caused them to make new decisions and find a new purpose and direction for their lives.

In each of their stories is a message not only for them, but for all of us, as we see the wisdom, love and care, which God has for those who turn to Him. His words become our tools for the soul and show us ways in which we can handle the challenges of living that we all have to face on a daily basis.

An Encounter with Forgiveness

This is the story of a woman with two sons. Mrs. Betty Seontra immigrated to Canada some fifty years ago. Alone in this country she was able to create for herself and her boys a life they could only have dreamed of in their former communist country. However, along with her struggles for survival and independence was a heart full of love and trust for others.

One day a friend of hers from Eastern Europe phoned her at three in the morning in a hysterical state. It seemed her boy friend had been threatening to kill her and she had to get out of the house. She asked Betty to come and get her out of there.

Betty did and brought her into her home where she lived with her for about six months. After which she and her boy friend made up and eventually she went back to live with him.

Six months later around Christmas time, Betty was returning home from work and as she entered the house she said she felt in advance that something was wrong. Sure enough her place had been robbed.

She phoned the police who came and after their investigation suggested that it was an inside job as no locks or windows had been broken or tampered with. That same evening she had a call from her friend asking how she was. This, in a way was strange, because after she left she hadn't heard from her.

However, due to the fact it was Christmas and Betty wanted to enjoy the season she put it out of her mind. Then, at a Christmas party a medium described a silver tray she, which she had forgotten about, and which was also missing. A while later, a second medium described in great detail the person who had it in their possession. It was the Eastern European lady she had recently befriended.

When it finally hit home who the robber really was Betty was beside herself. She couldn't understand how someone she had befriended could treat her so cruelly. Her emotional turmoil grew steadily worse. She lost weight and could barely make it through her days at work. At night she couldn't sleep and would lie awake sobbing into the night.

Finally, one night in her tears, she decided to pray. Then an amazing thing happened, a face appeared to her and on its head it wore a crown of thorns, she knew it was Jesus. Betty was bathed in a wonderful feeling of love and compassion, as He said to her...

"I know how you feel because I too have suffered."

After this experience Betty said she could mentally and emotionally forgive anyone. The anger and feelings of betrayal that had plagued her for so long now vanished. She was okay with the experience and felt free from the burden of hate. However, she still didn't want to go out of her way to meet with the friend that betrayed her.

Some time later Betty began a volunteering with Meals-on-Wheels. One day they told her she had a new customer. When Betty arrived at the door of her new contact, she was met by none other than her old friend who used her so badly.

The woman had a brace around her neck and was in very bad shape; she was surprised to see Betty and welcomed her in. She showed Betty her paintings and complained about how bitterly life had dealt with her. As she was leaving Betty turned to the woman and said, "You have to forget the past and then you will heal." The woman said to her, "but that's very hard to do."

The last time she saw the woman she was in an old age home. The woman didn't seem to recognize her.

Betty realized the tremendous burden this other woman had at one time. She had lost her only son in a freak accident when he was in his mid-teens. Perhaps, if she had asked God for help, she might have received a word, a vision or a dream from the Divine that might have helped her make better choices for her life as well.

Betty's Gift

What was the gift that Betty received in all of this? She said that in spite of all her suffering it put her in a state of mind whereby she could never hold a grudge or hate anyone ever again. She said, “Ever since, I have felt such wonderful sense of freedom and peace.” She too, rests in the knowledge that God loves her and cares enough for her to intervene in her time of need and provide the grace for her to get on with her life.

The lesson for all of us is that God truly does care for us and wants to relieve us of the emotional burdens we carry so that we all can experience His Kingdom here on earth.

NOTE

We welcome your responses. We are also inviting those of you who have had similar stories to write us. Chances are you will be selected by our panel to have your story published in future books, Hear the Voice of God and Live, See The Face of God and Live, andFeel The Touch of God and Live. For more information regarding submissions, click here...