For a long time, my favorite way of hearing God was Still Small Voice. When you are paying attention, God can speak to you this way, you hear, you know. You know that you know…. And you are ready and set to get on with what’s next in regard to what you are hearing.
Sometimes you get a Word of Knowledge &/or Wisdom. Which may come as an image, a memory, an association, a thought in your own mind; a body feeling…these come in many ways. Takes some getting used to. Once you start getting the knack of paying attention, though, it gets easier and easier.
With such a Word of Knowledge &/or Wisdom, you have to search a bit. You have to be more active in your listening. God isn’t doing it all for you. This is good for you and prepares you to be more active.
Sometimes you hear in a dream, a symbolic vision, something that requires even more active searching on your part. Maybe even a parable or dark saying. Or a puzzle. Or something symbolic and new to you. Our Lord loves it when you search out his Word. Which causes you to be even more active and committed, searching it out. Receiving the whole message is not as certain – you have to follow through.
Having to follow through like this is very different than when you hear Still Small Voice and you can act on the Word you receive right away. If you are paying attention and listening, you have received the message.
You may deepen your understanding later, diving intuitively, with your spirit, more into what Holy Spirit has delivered to you – but you are ready to act right away.
Interesting differences.
Can you begin to see and to wonder about when and how God might be speaking to you in different ways at different times? Requiring your response in different time frames? With different levels of activity on your part?
I invite you to ponder this. To meditate. To learn.