Bible Text: Psalm 32:8 | Speaker: Darlene Sala | Series: Encouraging Words | My Dad used to tell the story of a time when he and my Mom were traveling some distance by car. It was long before the days of seatbelts, and I was standing in the front seat between them.  I was about four years of age at the time, and I was whistling, as kids will do.  My Mom had had considerable ear trouble when she was a child, and a sharp whistle caused pain in her ears, so she gave me a little poke in the side with her elbow.

My Dad says I immediately looked over at him, and with a grin said, ‚Daddy, I can read Mama’s pushes. That one meant stop whistling.‛  He said they laughed about it at the time, but as we drove on, he thought to himself, ‚Dear Lord, I wish I were as sensitive to Your gentle pushes so that You would not have to deal with me harshly in order for me to know what you want me to do.‛  Yes, if we all could be sensitive to God’s ‚pushes‛ we would save ourselves many a time of correction.

God says in Psalm 32 ‚I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go‛ (Psalm 32:8). It’s possible to have such sensitive heart that God can impress us with His will without having to put a major roadblock in our path to get our attention. Isaiah says, ‚Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’ ” (Isaiah 30:21). The more often we respond to God’s voice, the more experienced we will become in discerning His will.  The most important thing is to obey Him promptly.

Has God been giving you one of His gentle pushes? If so, you know what He wants you to do. So why don’t you act on it today? There’s no time like the present.