Who and what speaks for God? In this episode about Discernment – Being Open to God’s Messengers – we share an in-depth example of one of many episodes in our family’s life that speaks clearly to the idea that God speaks to us through many messengers. The idea of being who we are supposed to be is key to noticing these messengers and being open to them working for God’s purpose in our lives; oftentimes inadvertently and unknowingly. But God does not shout, nor does He deny that which He has ordained – so the message has to get to us somehow. It gets to us through God’s messengers.

Recognizing and being open to God’s messengers is another key to proper, effective, and correct discernment. When we are prejudiced to the possibility of a messenger, or when we are determined that someone or something must be a messenger, we place God in a box. Being open to God means accepting that, yes, He works in mysterious ways but, more importantly, recognizing that He will speak to us in unexpected ways. Oftentimes being open to God’s messengers means getting rid of our suppositions of impossibility and seeing who or what God puts in front of us when we honestly dislodge ourselves from doubt.

Being open to God’s messengers means that discernment is not a one man show, and that discernment is not the same as decision-making. God’s messengers come in whatever form God chooses them to come in, and in this episode, we help you see that. So, do not be surprised by God’s messengers – and don’t be surprised if you are surprised. And if you are surprised, it may not be appropriate to pigeon-hole God into that box, either.

Confused? You won’t be after this episode – an episode we have a lot of fun with in parish missions and hope it stimulates you to dig deeper into discernment. Being open to God’s messengers starts with being open to how the one message is sent through many different ways.

Previous Episodes in this Discernment Series:

Discernment – What It Is and What It Isn’t – Episode 176
Discernment – Listening For God – Episode 177
Discernment – Listening To God – Episode 178

Some items on our site that will help in Discernment – Being Open to God’s Messengers, or at least get you started:

Page: Letters Home

Page: Prayer Basics

Article: Why Doesn’t God Shout?

Video: Spirit In Life – Exploring the Holy Spirit | A Video Series

TWMWU: This Great Gift

Podcast Episode: Discerning God’s Will – Part 1 – Episode 74

Podcast Episode: How Do I Listen To And Hear The LORD? – Episode 145

Podcast Episode: God’s Beauty – Episode 160

Podcast Episode: Walking In The Catholic Faith – Episode 167

Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with Discernment – Being Open to God’s Messengers.