Knowing which way to go
And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”— Isaiah 30:21.
How do we hear the voice of God telling us what to do and where to go? There is a multitude of possibilities, perhaps more than the stars. The purpose of all of our spiritual practices is to put us in a position to connect to the God of our understanding and hear God’s voice.
Many believe that God is the dream maker who speaks to us in the language of dreams at night. My experience is that only in a dream group can I find meaning. As I look back on what I thought this dream meant, the answer was obvious, but only other people could see it.
There are many discernment processes to help decide the next path. The one I use the most is the Ignatian discernment, where we visualize or imagine what our lives would be like in one situation and then in the other situation. Ignatius suggests we can discern our path by evaluating how we felt after imagining being in each situation instead of how we felt while imagining living in it.
Many use spiritual direction from another person to guide them. The director is there to help the person connect to their soul within where answers come.
My experience is that the hours just after waking in the morning are often when situations become clearer. I try to be silent and wait and see if answers come.
This reading from Isaiah also always reminds me of the prologue to the Rule of Benedict. “Listen with the ear of your heart.”
Joanna Seibert joannaseibert.com