He Speaks Quiet Power Into Your Everyday Faith

It’s eight a.m. on the morning of January 6 when I sit down to begin that day’s read-through-the-Bible chapters. As usual, I open my electronic Bible app. Today is no different.

The screen loads, and a notification flashes:

Verse of the day: Isaiah 60:1

My eyes widen. My heart leaps. I double-check what I’m seeing. Am I reading that right?

Isaiah 60:1 is the dearest verse in all of Scripture to me. It is the passage God spoke over me from the chariot in the waking dream I experienced sixteen years ago.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”

As I shared in an earlier post that describes that dream, I’ve been waiting patiently for God to reveal, in His timing, what those words truly mean for my life. That verse-of-the-day moment was actually the catalyst that led me to finally sit down and write about the encounter itself.

Now, fourteen days later, let me tell you what has been unfolding since that January morning.

That day, something inside me lit up. I felt drawn to study the verse again more deeply. As I followed the cross-references for “light” and “the glory of the Lord,” I was led almost immediately to Ephesians 5—Paul’s beautiful instruction to the church in Ephesus on how believers are to live.

As I read, my soul caught fire. The words carried weight and clarity I had never experienced before. They meant something new. Something timely. Something personal.

Don’t you love when God does that?

I’m certain flashing exclamation points must have been visible in my eyes as I read verses 6 through 20. Every line seemed alive. When I reached the opening portion, my breath caught.

Paul speaks about not partnering with deception. About refusing alignment with those who operate in darkness. And suddenly I saw it.

When God declared Isaiah 60:1 over me all those years ago, I was in the process of walking out of a marriage marked by deception. I had been partnered with a deceiver—not by choice, and certainly not knowingly—but I had been deeply deceived all the same.

That realization landed gently but firmly. God had not been asking me to repair what He had already declared finished. He was rescuing me.

But the heart of the passage sits right in the center, where Paul quotes what was likely a well-known saying:

“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

God was waking me up. He was calling me out of darkness and into light when He declared that my light had come. Oh, how gracious He is.

As I continued reading, verse 13 unfolded with fresh meaning:

"Everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light."

When Christ shines on us, we don’t merely see the light. We become it.

I knew then that I wasn’t meant to rush past this chapter. God was inviting me to stay here—to sit with Ephesians 5 for however long He has appointed.

And this is where I want to pause and explain something important. For me, I’ve learned to recognize God’s voice not by volume, but by pattern.

When something comes to my attention repeatedly in unexpected ways, I pay attention. Usually, three confirmations are enough for me to say, “Okay, Lord. I see You.”

But this time? He didn’t stop at three. In the fourteen days following that January 6 encounter, Ephesians 5 followed me everywhere.

January 7^th, my small ladies’ Bible study group met for lunch. When the moment felt right, I shared what I had been learning about deception and partnership. These women know my story well, and the conversation opened into gratitude—gratitude that God had been kind enough to lead me out when I couldn’t yet see clearly.

That night, I watched the next teaching video in our study series.
The speaker taught directly on deceivers versus liars.
From Ephesians 5.
Mind blown.

The following day, I listened to a completely unrelated podcast while driving. The guest speaker began talking about learning how to walk as a believer.

Again—Ephesians 5.

A few days later, I wandered into a Christian bookstore looking for something entirely different. A book by Watchman Nee caught my attention. I had heard his name many times but had never read his work. I turned the book over.

Of course.

It was about learning how to walk as a Christian—using Ephesians as the guide. That book now sits on my nightstand.

Then Sunday came. The pastor referenced Ephesians 5 in his message.

And fourteen days in, at a leadership meeting, the main theme introduced for our next church teaching series was this:

Walking in the light.

At that point, I stopped counting. I don’t even know if I’ve remembered every moment it surfaced, but even six times is already double the way God usually confirms something for me.

There was no booming voice. No thunder from the clouds. Just unmistakable alignment. Each time, my heart burned, my spirit stirred, and my attention sharpened.

It was so powerful ... so quiet ... and undeniably God.

Can He speak loudly? Yes. Does He always? No.

If you’ve wondered whether God still speaks—or how to recognize His voice—let this energize you.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear audible words. Watch for the gentle nudges. Notice what keeps returning to your attention. Pay heed to the Scripture that seems to follow you. Look for confirmation through trusted teaching and godly counsel.

If it matters, He will stay with you on it. And when He does, your heart will know.

He is not distant and He is definitely not silent. He delights when His children lean in to listen.

As for me and Ephesians 5, I’ll keep following and leaning in on this scripture. I know there’s more for me in this and I am here for all of it.

But you, my dear friend, ask God to reveal himself and what He wants to say to you. Then listen. You’ll be delighted when you see a pattern emerge or hear an audible word.

And so will He.