Talking with Jesus--Dance Camp Testimony #3

I got to hang out with the younger students at camp one afternoon, our purpose being to listen to God's voice. Kids are incredible, how clearly they hear God. These girls were armed with markers and construction paper, ready to draw any pictures Jesus gave them, and then share them with the older students.

A few of them caught on right away. One girl, about 7 or 8, immediately drew a big cloud with golden raindrops coming out of it, and yellow glory all around. Others wrote specific notes of encouragement to sisters, moms, and close friends.

One girl sat with her hands over her ears, her muscles tense, her eyes a brimming with frustration.

A few minutes earlier we'd practiced listening to Jesus. "It's just like talking to your best friend! Do you guys like to talk to your best friend? Well, Jesus loves to talk to you, too! All the time! It's so fun!"

"I just hear my own thoughts," this girl had responded.

Now I sat next to her to see how she was doing. "I just can't hear anything, and I don't know why!" She exclaimed, exasperated.

I offered to pray with her; she eagerly accepted the offer. "Jesus," I spoke gently, placing my hand on her back, "I thank You for Your daughter. I thank You that she hears Your voice and You love to speak to her. Thank You that she doesn't hear from You like everyone else--it may be different from her friend, but it is still Your voice." (The glory-cloud girl was sitting right next to her, still drawing up a storm with a beaming face.)

I walked around to see how everyone else was getting along, and when I came back this little girl was asking how to spell some things. She was writing something to the effect of, "No longer afraid."

Here's the deal. About 30 minutes earlier, all the students had just been praying through the area of fear, and breaking it off of their lives. This was not just a cute Sunday school phrase she pulled out of a hat. It was a direct word from the Lord for one of the students who she was going to give the note to.

Do you ever feel like the little girl with her hands over her ears? I want to encourage you just as she encouraged me. We all hear God's voice. He really does like to speak to all of us. Sometimes it looks different from the person next to us. We don't all see glory clouds and sunshine rain. But we ALL know the sound of Jesus. It's just a matter of tuning our ears to listen, and trusting that He loves us enough to have a conversation with us.