Listening to the Voice Within, Part I — Becky's Rescue
I saw an eighteen-wheeler headed toward the intersection. And all of a sudden I knew—I had to get out of the turn lane and off the road.
God speaks to us. Sometimes it’s in a whisper, an urging, and some have even heard an audible voice. We get a sudden urge to call, email, or text someone only to find out they really needed support just then. We feel a sudden need to pray and find out later the recipient was in a moment of crisis, decision, trauma, or danger. Times like these I define as everyday mystical experiences, in that there is no physical reason for such a “knowing,” and it doesn’t come from some other person telling us what to do. Sometimes we know why the urging came, and sometimes we don’t. But the communication is direct, sometimes visceral and sometimes crucial to our very well-being.
My friend, Becky, had a time where the urging inside her was incredibly strong and there was no visible reason to listen. But, man, is she glad she did. I am too. The world is a better place with Becky and loving, caring people like her in it. We connected by Facebook this past weekend:
Becky: I have a God story!
Lisa: Yay! I would love to hear it!
Becky: I had all three of my kids in the car and we were headed home. We pulled into a left turn lane on what is normally a fairly busy highway. It was around 4:30 in the afternoon, always a busy time. When I looked to see if it was clear to make the turn, I saw an eighteen-wheeler headed toward the intersection. And all of a sudden I knew—I had to get out of the turn lane and off the road because the truck was going to veer over. I cranked the wheel and pulled off the road. The kids wanted to know what I was doing. I just watched the truck and as I watched, it began to drift over the center line. As it it got to the intersection, it was fully in the left turn lane and continuing to drift. It drifted all the way into the far lane and then seemed to wake up and pulled back over to its own side. I was shaking and so were the kids. There were asking me how I knew that was going to happen and I knew God had warned me to MOVE. And not only that, He cleared the highway in both directions at that busy time of day. I was able to pull myself together and make our turn home. We still talk about it from time to time.
Lisa: Oh, my gosh! That’s amazing, Becky! Was there a voice in your head or just a knowing?
Becky: It was a knowing. And a jolt to get off the road.
Lisa: Did you feel your pulse quicken? How old were the kids?
Becky: The kids were teenagers. My heart rate was off the charts!
Lisa: I’ll bet!
Becky: The kids were almost in shock. They kept asking how I knew. And I just knew it was God. That was the only answer and there was a peace that it was Him guarding and protecting us. The truck was not wavering or drifting in the least until after we were on the side of the road.
Lisa: Did you know it was about the truck when it all began?
Becky: Yes, it was the only vehicle on the road and I clearly knew it was going to come on our side of the road. And it was going fast.
Lisa: Wait. It was 4:30 in the afternoon in Southern California and you two were the only vehicles on the road?
Becky: Yes!! Always super busy. It was crazy amazing! After I got back over to make the turn, the traffic started up!
Lisa: That is amazing. Don’t you wonder about all the little things that happened to people to keep them from being there just then? It would have been tragic if that had been a full intersection.
Becky: Yes. I wonder that all the time!
Lisa: I wonder if he was falling asleep at the wheel?
Becky: That’s all I can figure out. We were at the top of a large dip and by the time he got to the bottom he woke up, I guess, and went back to the proper lane.
Lisa: Do you remember the color of the truck? (Leave it to me to ask stupid questions about the color, but I like to picture things in my head.)
Becky: No, not at all. I can see the silver tank it was carrying but not the color of the truck itself.
Lisa: It was a TANKER?? Oh, my!
Becky: Yeah! Crazy! As though the eighteen-wheeler wasn’t enough!
Lisa: Was there a moment in between the urging and you listening that you doubted what you were feeling? When you heard the urging, did you respond without question?
Becky: Yes, almost on auto pilot. I don’t think I could have NOT pulled off.
Lisa: Did you think you were at all crazy during any of this?
Becky: Yes. When I pulled over and stopped, and the kids wanted to know what was going on, I thought, am I crazy? And immediately the truck started drifting.
Lisa: What was your thought when the truck started drifting?
Becky: When the truck started drifting I knew it was coming through our lane and that we would be safe. I was grateful and shocked—not that God had prompted me, but at how close to disaster we had come.
Lisa: How would you encourage people who want to experience a direct, intimate relationship with God?
Becky: I think we need to realize that God does still communicate with us—His children. We need to be open to see, hear, experience that communication.
Lisa: Did this experience change anything regarding how you felt God deals with His children?
Becky: It didn’t really change how I felt about communication with God but I think it solidified it. I had had other promptings from God but nothing this profound!
Lisa: Becky, thank you so so much for sharing this!
Becky: My pleasure. It’s one of the touchstones that reminds me there is a reason and a purpose that we are here.
God speaks to us. Sometimes it’s in a whisper, an urging, and some have even heard an audible voice. We get a sudden urge to call, email, or text someone only to find out they really needed support just then. We feel a sudden need to pray and find out later the recipient was in a moment of crisis, decision, trauma, or danger. Times like these I define as everyday mystical experiences, in that there is no physical reason for such a “knowing,” and it doesn’t come from some other person telling us what to do. Sometimes we know why the urging came, and sometimes we don’t. But the communication is direct, sometimes visceral and sometimes crucial to our very well-being.
My friend, Becky, had a time where the urging inside her was incredibly strong and there was no visible reason to listen. But, man, is she glad she did. I am too. The world is a better place with Becky and loving, caring people like her in it. We connected by Facebook this past weekend:
Becky: I have a God story!
Lisa: Yay! I would love to hear it!
Becky: I had all three of my kids in the car and we were headed home. We pulled into a left turn lane on what is normally a fairly busy highway. It was around 4:30 in the afternoon, always a busy time. When I looked to see if it was clear to make the turn, I saw an eighteen-wheeler headed toward the intersection. And all of a sudden I knew—I had to get out of the turn lane and off the road because the truck was going to veer over. I cranked the wheel and pulled off the road. The kids wanted to know what I was doing. I just watched the truck and as I watched, it began to drift over the center line. As it it got to the intersection, it was fully in the left turn lane and continuing to drift. It drifted all the way into the far lane and then seemed to wake up and pulled back over to its own side. I was shaking and so were the kids. There were asking me how I knew that was going to happen and I knew God had warned me to MOVE. And not only that, He cleared the highway in both directions at that busy time of day. I was able to pull myself together and make our turn home. We still talk about it from time to time.
Lisa: Oh, my gosh! That’s amazing, Becky! Was there a voice in your head or just a knowing?
Becky: It was a knowing. And a jolt to get off the road.
Lisa: Did you feel your pulse quicken? How old were the kids?
Becky: The kids were teenagers. My heart rate was off the charts!
Lisa: I’ll bet!
Becky: The kids were almost in shock. They kept asking how I knew. And I just knew it was God. That was the only answer and there was a peace that it was Him guarding and protecting us. The truck was not wavering or drifting in the least until after we were on the side of the road.
Lisa: Did you know it was about the truck when it all began?
Becky: Yes, it was the only vehicle on the road and I clearly knew it was going to come on our side of the road. And it was going fast.
Lisa: Wait. It was 4:30 in the afternoon in Southern California and you two were the only vehicles on the road?
Becky: Yes!! Always super busy. It was crazy amazing! After I got back over to make the turn, the traffic started up!
Lisa: That is amazing. Don’t you wonder about all the little things that happened to people to keep them from being there just then? It would have been tragic if that had been a full intersection.
Becky: Yes. I wonder that all the time!
Lisa: I wonder if he was falling asleep at the wheel?
Becky: That’s all I can figure out. We were at the top of a large dip and by the time he got to the bottom he woke up, I guess, and went back to the proper lane.
Lisa: Do you remember the color of the truck? (Leave it to me to ask stupid questions about the color, but I like to picture things in my head.)
Becky: No, not at all. I can see the silver tank it was carrying but not the color of the truck itself.
Lisa: It was a TANKER?? Oh, my!
Becky: Yeah! Crazy! As though the eighteen-wheeler wasn’t enough!
Lisa: Was there a moment in between the urging and you listening that you doubted what you were feeling? When you heard the urging, did you respond without question?
Becky: Yes, almost on auto pilot. I don’t think I could have NOT pulled off.
Lisa: Did you think you were at all crazy during any of this?
Becky: Yes. When I pulled over and stopped, and the kids wanted to know what was going on, I thought, am I crazy? And immediately the truck started drifting.
Lisa: What was your thought when the truck started drifting?
Becky: When the truck started drifting I knew it was coming through our lane and that we would be safe. I was grateful and shocked—not that God had prompted me, but at how close to disaster we had come.
Lisa: How would you encourage people who want to experience a direct, intimate relationship with God?
Becky: I think we need to realize that God does still communicate with us—His children. We need to be open to see, hear, experience that communication.
Lisa: Did this experience change anything regarding how you felt God deals with His children?
Becky: It didn’t really change how I felt about communication with God but I think it solidified it. I had had other promptings from God but nothing this profound!
Lisa: Becky, thank you so so much for sharing this!
Becky: My pleasure. It’s one of the touchstones that reminds me there is a reason and a purpose that we are here.
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