We do not usually accuse God of being silent. We accuse Him of being quiet. There is a difference. Silent means nothing is being said. Quiet means we are not standing close enough to hear it.

Three weeks into Rooted we have talked about what a storm does to us, where we fix our eyes when the wind picks up, and what it looks like to actually live the thing we heard instead of just nodding at it. This week we back up one step. Before we can obey a word, we have to receive one.

God speaks to our spirit in and through five places. His Word. His People. Our Trials. His Church. Prayer. None of them are loud. All of them are close.

One of those five is going to sting before the week is out. God speaks through trials, and not just the small ones. He allows hard things, sometimes devastating things, and He does not waste a single one of them. Our years here are short. He is far more interested in who we are becoming than in how comfortable we are getting.

So this week we are not going to strain to hear something new. We are going to practice standing closer to the places He already speaks.