How do I Listen to God?

What astonishes me is the many different ways God chooses to speak to us.  I believe that at the center of hearing God's voice is being able to recognize His voice, like in John 10 where Jesus is the Good Shepherd and His sheep recognize His voice.  The best way to recognize the voice of God, is to know God and know His Word.  I am FAR from perfect in keeping up with studying His Word; it's something I want to do, but seem to fail at--like Paul in Romans 7.  That doesn't mean I give up, I need to keep studying His Word so I can continue to know God better, so I can hear Him more clearly, so I can worship Him more completely, so I can point others to Jesus and make His name great among the nations.

God speaks in a variety of ways.  I was very stubborn in trying to make "the plan" work, but my plans don't always jive with God's plans.  And He has His ways of making that clear...sometimes those ways are easy, but, when you are stubborn, sometimes those ways are very difficult.  I wrote out all my options for going on the World Race with AIM--changing dates, changing trips, shorter trip, different kind of trip--and as I wrote the options out with pros/cons, praying over them, discussing them with a very wise woman (my mom), and talking with a representative from AIM over the course of two days.  The doors began to close--for example, one trip that would have been an option was a shorter World Race (4 months instead of 11) which meant less cost, less commitment, and a different view.  After praying over it and weighing the pros/cons, I called AIM to see what they thought of "the plan".  That trip had filled up the day before and they were not letting anyone else join.  That was a closed door if I have ever seen one.  God closes doors that need to be closed, so somehow, after tears have been shed and the clouds of disappointment are lifted, we can see the doors that God is opening for us:  things that are so much better that we could ever have imagined and things that He has prepared for us.  Doors that we wouldn't have seen unless we turned from something else that may have looked good but it wasn't God's best.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."--Isaiah 30:21

What a great God we serve!  Everything that I have gone through, every experience I have had, every job that I have held, education, relationships, and upbringing:  God's hand was in it and He is using it somehow for His glory and using it all to mold me and prepare me for His work!  He has used things, people, His Word, and the Holy Spirit to speak to me.  I just pray that I have open ears to listen and a heart to continue to know Him more.