The RAVYN Blog

I wasn’t too thrilled about being in the supermarket; however, while I was there, I decided to stock up on some fruit. The school planned to put us in a 14-day quarantine when we arrived at the dorm, and I needed enough to eat.

As I browsed through the produce section, I made a mental list of all the fruits I wanted: kiwis, plums… then I looked at the peaches. I thought, “I haven’t had peaches in a long time.” But I never picked up any peaches and went with the fruits I’d already picked out.

At the Dorm: Peach Discovery

On the day I moved in, my school delivered the first meal package to my door. Since we were in quarantine, they delivered food to us each day. That day, I noticed they’d given me a peach as part of the meal. 

It was strange: peaches were expensive, and I didn’t expect a school to include them in a meal package. Still, I didn’t complain. 

The next day, they packed an apple. On Wednesday, they gave me another peach. Now, I had two peaches in the refrigerator, waiting to be eaten. On Thursday, I decided to make myself a fruit salad. After all, I had a few peaches and kiwis in the fridge.

The Conversation with God

I pulled out the peaches and began to peel them. However, frustration crept in as I struggled to peel the first peach, and that’s when I engaged in a little conversation with God.

His instruction was direct and persistent, so I kept peeling the peaches. I washed the fruit and ate my breakfast of fruit salad.

Still shocked at how strongly God’s instructions were, I went to bed that night, not knowing what I would discover the next day.

Next Day Revelation

On Friday, I headed to the fridge to make breakfast and noticed that the other peach was there. I’d only peeled one peach the previous day, but another was left. I was in the mood for it, but the Spirit pressed me to leave the peach alone for now, so I did.

I had my usual breakfast and hopped into bed to scroll through my phone.

The first news to pop up was a peach recall. CNN reported a peach recall in several states after 78 people fell ill. And would you believe what contaminated these peaches? Salmonella.

New York was among the states that had the recall. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. There was no way I would’ve known about this if I hadn’t had that little conversation with God. The news was so real, God’s voice was so audible and sure that I had to call my mother to let her know.

The Persistent Voice of God

I needed this reminder: that God does indeed listen. And He does respond.

As insignificant as that conversation was, it showed how prominent and present God was in my life. Sometimes His response isn’t as immediate or as audible as we wish, but His answers are always clear and direct.

Throughout my time in school, God has answered my prayers in many different ways. At the time, I wasn’t sure who it was, and there were moments that I didn’t even know that I’d prayed or that my prayers were answered.

When I did pray, it was hard to see how He could answer. He knew the future; I didn’t. But one time, when He made Himself clear and direct, I remember thinking how absurd His observations were. Yet, in that moment of doubt, I still heeded His instructions, and He revealed to me what He was protecting me from.

To Obey God’s Voice… 

The idea isn’t simply to hear God’s voice, but to obey, even when we may not fully understand His instructions. The Bible says:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

As long as we trust Him and acknowledge Him, He will direct our steps.

Sometimes His instructions may ‘sound’ silly, but God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours. I laughed when He told me about ‘Salmonella’. I was in disbelief because the bacteria is commonly associated with meat and eggs, not fruit.

But God knew why He said what He said. I leaned on my own understanding, but God’s wisdom is infinite.

My knowledge, my ways, my paths are shallow water compared with God’s omniscience. And that’s why I trust him, always.

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This was previously posted on Becoming the Oil and Wine

Share your experience with obeying God’s voice and how His directions guided you. I’d love to read your stories in the comments below.

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