How Does God Speak?

I love the way that my daughter's 1st grade teacher explained how God sometimes speaks to us. She had shared I Kings 19: 11-12 (KJV)"And he [the Lord] said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." She was explaining to the children that it is sometimes like God is whispering in your ear what he wants for you to do. My daughter could understand someone whispering in her ear and she has prayed that a few times at bedtime. That God would "whisper into her ear what she is supposed to be when she grows up."

Recently, when I was leaving for a few days to attend a conference, she was having a difficult time with the thought of my being gone. She was crying and telling me to stay and I was trying to explain to her why I needed to go. What it boiled down to was that I had felt God prompting me to attend this conference. Yes, I wanted to go, but there are a lot of things that I want to do that I do not pursue if it means spending resources and time away from my family. This time, however, I knew that I was supposed to go. I felt strongly that God had prompted my heart to attend and my husband was in full agreement and support. I hugged her while she cried and told her that I had to go to this conference because "God had whispered in my ear" that I should go and I was obeying Him. She looked up intently in my eyes as though we shared some wonderful secret and was instantly calmed. Her focus then changed onto what role she would play in the household while I was away.

How does God speak to you? Some of the ways that He speaks to me are: through His Word, what I call "heart promptings," through other Christians, "God bumps" as my wonderful friend Julie calls them, and one that I have recently thought deeply about-through the desires that He places in my heart. Things that don't necessarily cause me gain, but that I am strongly motivated to see come to fruition. I'd love to hear how God speaks to you! Feel free to comment below this post.

Many Blessings!