Four steps to transform a vague word from God into a clear idea

Hearing God isn't always simple. You ask a question, and you get an answer. But many times the answer isn't completely clear.You might see a picture or think to go to a passage of Scripture. Or you might have a word repeat in your head. You know that God is trying to say something, but you aren't sure what it is. You just recognize that it's Him speaking.There was a season when I kept hearing the word "Indonesia." I was sure that it meant that I needed to go to Indonesia on a surf missions trip. Although the Indonesia surf trip didn't end up panning out, I later became an English pastor at an Indonesian church.I am still trying to figure out how to get to Indonesia to go surfing.These little moments of hearing God's voice are like waves. They roll across us and we can feel them. We sense that we are being spoken to. But we don't know exactly what He is saying.The question is what do you do with those moments. You can choose to allow the waves to wash over you, or you can paddle into them and ride them to shore.In Exodus 3, Moses saw a bush that was burning but didn't burn up. His next thought changed his life, "I will go over and see this strange sight- why the bush does not burn up." He saw something interesting, and he went closer.The reality is that you can see a burning bush and keep on moving. Nobody forces you to go in closer and see what it's all about. You can be in the ocean and a large wave can pass you by, and if you are outside of where it is breaking, you will just feel it like a gentle up and down movement.The key is to take whatever small sense or feeling or word and develop it, to go deeper, draw closer, and to find out what God is trying to say.When you get a general impression or a feeling or sense that God is speaking to you, or when you ask a question and get a vague answer, you have an opportunity. You can go deeper. You can hear more. Here's a four-step process for transforming a vague idea into a clear word or direction:

1. Decide that you won't be content with surface answers - It's hard for us to be okay with the fact that we will get as much as we want in hearing God's voice. It's easier to ascribe our lack of clarity to the mystery of God. It is true that mystery plays a role. But it's better to run into the cement wall of mystery because you kept swimming deeper into the deep end rather than assuming that there's a wall out there before you find it. Resolve that you will go further, know more and understand all that God is ready to tell you.
2. Write down what you feel that you already know - Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of what God has already said in order to build our faith that we can actually hear from Him. We can thank God for what He has already said or revealed, and this can pave the way to getting more.
3. Write down what doesn't make sense and ask specific questions about these things - Perhaps you feel a sense of warning and you don't know what to do about the warning. Ask God what you should do. Perhaps you saw a picture but you don't know what it means. Write down every part of the picture and ask God what they mean. Establish what is still mysterious, and you can begin to break down some of the mystery.
4. Keep coming back to a word - You can keep asking for clarity over and over again. When you keep coming back to an issue in prayer, God will reveal more and more.

There are different types of waves that come our way, whether it's a strange coincidence, a puzzle in the Word, a picture that doesn't make sense, a dream, or a stream of thoughts. Over the next several weeks, we will be exploring how to go deeper in hearing God's voice in each of these areas.What do you do to get more clarity on what God is saying to you?