A Still Small Voice

In my life, I’ve had God show up in some incredible ways. Sometimes these things are completely expected and sometimes they come out of nowhere. It may be in grand moments, or in a still small voice, but God is always there. In my life, there have been grand moments, but it’s the moments of clarity, moments of provision, or even moments where God allows me to be a light in someone else’s life that are more common.

One year, I was driving around Calgary heading home from work when God used a seacan on the back of a truck to call me back to life at Camp Evergreen. I had to laugh when it happened as it was a green seacan with the word Evergreen across it. In that moment, I felt that God was really calling back to camp. I still wanted to know for sure that it was what God wanted, so during my devotions the one morning God showed me Isaiah 45. There was one line in my reading that said “I summon you by name,” and that was the confirmation that I needed. I had just been through a few months of healing my heart and wanted to be sure that was what God was calling me to go. I didn’t want to be going because it was the safe place to go, but because it was where God was calling me to go.

This summer, God showed me some amazing provision, and gave me an incredible opportunity to be a light in the life of a friend. In the first half of my pregnancy, my husband had been riding my horse Freedom for me, but got tired of riding her. I needed someone to exercise her, and I had a friend (and former coworker) who was really struggling with her mental health. Having experienced healing through my relationships with horses myself, I felt like God was prompting me to provide my friend the opportunity do use Freedom to help her. I actually messaged Katherina to ask her for some EAL(Equine assisted learning) exercises. After just a couple exercises, I noticed a huge difference in my friend’s confidence and her emotional state. The difference was so great that my friend was asking to get up bareback and ride around by the end of our session. We continued to try and get out to the barn pretty much once a week until a month before my due date. With each lesson that we had, I was able to see her grow confidence, and build a bond with Freedom. I watched God use a need that I had to provide an opportunity to show love to a friend, and help her out without any formal training.

As a new mom, I’m seeing God in so many new ways these days. I know it may be a little bit cliché, but when I look at her I understand God’s love in a whole new light. I can’t imagine loving someone as much as I love my little girl, and God loves each of us that much too. During my pregnancy, my spiritual life was tumultuous, but the moment I held her for the first time, I knew what her name was to be. Elianna means “God has answered” or “God has heard,” and that was what I felt in that moment. God gave us a precious gift as an answer to our prayers. God has also provided a new group for connection for me. In these distanced times, I have found a group of women who get together, talk about God, and pray together on a weekly basis. It has been a great source of encouragement to be able to meet virtually with those ladies weekly, and to keep in touch throughout the week. This group has provided spiritual nourishment, encouragement, and support as I walk through this new stage of life. However, there are also the small moments with my daughter that God uses to speak to me. It can be as simple as a look that she gives me, or a wave of love that I feel for her. Even an urge to just get up and dance to worship music with her at the end of a church service.

Many people look for God in the grand moments of life and forget that He doesn’t always show up in the big things. Just look at Elijah’s life, God was sometimes present in the big moments like on Mount Carmel, and then he didn’t show up in the winds or the earthquake but in a still small voice. We have to be paying attention to see when God shows up. In my life sometimes it was a big thing like the birth of my child, while other times it was as simple as a seacan being transported over the road I was driving on. You just have to remember to watch for God in the everyday moments as well as the grand moments.

Simply and Wildly,

Julia

About the Author

I’m Julia, an outdoorsy, horse riding, wife, and a new mama to a 5 month old baby girl. My family and I live in Airdrie with our rescue pup Rusty. In what little spare time I have, I try to get out to the barn regularly to ride our horse Freedom whom I’ve raised from birth.