During difficult times, we have to step out in faith and trust that God, who has always had our back, wouldn't change now.

Can you REALLY hear God’s voice? This significant question came up from one of my teenagers last year. My daughter was struggling with feeling friendless and alone in her freshman year of high school. She had been praying for God to provide her some guidance, to help her out, but felt He had abandoned her.

What began as a simple request from a 14 year old had become a frustration that was rapidly evolving into bitter resentment that God didn’t hear or respond to our pleas for help. She felt that IF God was alive and interested, why didn’t He choose to act? When would He actually answer her prayers? How would she know if He did ?

Those are tough questions, important questions! I mean we all kind of know.. basically the general idea of what it means to “hear from God”. Don’t we?

As parents we can’t afford to blow through the sincere fears and frustrations of our kids as “incidental”, or secondary issues that will resolve themselves in time. Doubtless my daughter would have made a new friend in time and doubtless this little concern would fade into the memory of a difficult adolescence, but the opportunity was rare to actually engage her with the faith her mother and I held so dear.

Recognizing the opportunity is one thing... providing good sound advice on how a person can Hear from God is quite another...

It was time to step out in faith, and trust that the God who has always had my back... wouldn't change or fail me now. He didn't, and he won’t fail you.