Get Up, My Son

When I tell you that God actually spoke to me, you might think I’m nuts. Most people would.

But you know, God’s guidance comes in many forms.

Several years ago I was going through a terribly difficult divorce. I was not only losing my wife of 12 years, but also my 3-year-old daughter. I was devastated.

One particularly bad night, I was on my knees, begging God to take away the pain, when in my head, I clearly heard a calm, masculine voice say, “Get up, my son.”

Rising from the floor, I dusted myself off and sat to consider what had just happened. Was that the voice of God? If not, then whose was it? I was certain I had not imagined it. I reasoned God didn’t want me on my knees, but I knew there was more to the message.

As the years passed, those four little words stayed with me.

I continued to search for their deeper meaning. “Get up, my son.” I determined that “get up” meant praying in a more positive fashion, but also having a higher consciousness: Get up from despair. Get up from perceived separation from God. Elevate my awareness that God delivered me to this life to live it joyously, not wracked with despair. My task was to seek God’s kingdom first and foremost.

One day I was driving aimlessly around the city, absorbed in prayer and introspection. Coming to a stoplight in a rather bad neighborhood, I noticed a vacant lot littered with refuse and full of weeds. Hanging from a weathered billboard, a faded paper sign flapped in the wind. Squinting to see the lettering, I read, “Pray. It Works.”

When the light changed, I had to pull over for a moment. I was struck by what I just saw. It felt as though the message was intended for me. It was not a coincidence. The sign wasn’t easy to read, and if the light had been green, I’d have breezed past it. Seeing the ministry behind that ragged message, I thanked God for whomever erected it. I prayed for all who read it. I felt connected to the group of folks whom the sign touched.

I believe God’s messages gently guide us on our journey and awaken in us what needs awakening.

I keep these messages on sticky notes on my computer screen. Their meaning subtly changes with the twists and turns of my path, and they become more clear and relevant with each day.

Have you ever received a message from God? Did you doubt its source? Did you dismiss it, yet it wouldn’t leave you? I believe God sends us messages. It is for us to become, as Daily Word once suggested, spiritual detectives, ever alert for clues and communiqués from God.

Don’t question whether it’s meant for you. Of course, it is. Otherwise you wouldn’t have noticed it. Get up, my friend!

This article originally appeared in Daily Word® magazine.