During the time that my husband was slowly slipping into heaven, I wrecked my car three times.  Each accident was a simple fender crusher; and they were my fault.  Nevertheless, the cost of the repairs was thousands of dollars.  It was obvious that I was too distracted to drive safely.  As careful as I tried to be, it was as though every vehicle on the highway was targeting me.

One morning as I sat staring at my uneaten breakfast, I started to question my heart.  During the months when I knew Frank was dying, I had not cried.  My eyes were empty of tears.  It was as though I had no tear ducts.  I knew I wasn’t in denial about the valley I saw my husband walking through.  Yet, though it was apparent that he would soon leave me, I did not cry.

Quietly, I prayed, “Lord, why don’t I cry?  Frank is dying and I cannot cry.  Why is this happening?”

Almost immediately, the Lord spoke to my heart, “You don’t cry.  You just wreck cars.”

I started to laugh.  The tone of those words wasn’t condemning or pathetic or even sorrowful.   The Lord was stating a fact.  “You wreck cars.”

“Lord,”  I continued my prayer.  “Wouldn’t it be a lot cheaper if I merely cried?  Couldn’t you help me with that?”

While I sometimes question my ability to hear from God, this was a clear word of explanation from the Lord.

After my husband died, I didn’t drive for a month.  “You don’t want me to drive,”  I would explain handing my keys to another person.  “I’m not a safe driver.”    Noting my driving record for the past six months, people never argued with me.  They slipped behind the wheel and took control of my van without objection.

Often God speaks in unexpected ways.  Too often, we don’t recognize his voice because his answers are common logical responses that don’t seem as holy as we expect God to be.

The Psalmist said, “I will incline my ear to you, O Lord.”  Translated he was saying, “I am going to listen to you.”

Has there been a time in your life that God spoke to you in a unique way?  How did you feel afterward?