After reading a book, questions inevitably arise. From doubts about whether the author’s story is true, to the moving realization that it could indeed be possible as evidence of God’s presence unfolds throughout the narrative—I couldn’t help but marvel at how such experiences were possible. And the question that lingered after finishing this book was: Could something like this happen to me? Living in the same era as Pastor Loren Cunningham felt almost unbelievable; it struck me how different his life was from mine. The idea that he lived according to God’s plan and vision, not his own, was astonishing. Alongside curiosity about how he managed such a life came a fear: did it require enduring immense trials and suffering? On one hand, I felt admiration; on the other, a sense that such a path seemed unlikely for me.

However, what made me unable to put the book down once I started reading were the astonishing miracles and signs that kept appearing. Surely, beyond the events recorded in this book, countless other remarkable occurrences must have taken place. What was even more astonishing was that they asked God about all these things, heard His voice directly, and followed Him. A curiosity and reverence arose within me about what it must be like to hear God’s voice directly. I also wondered: Could God truly speak directly to humans, and did He desire to do so? And I thought that perhaps God had wanted to speak directly to me too, but I hadn’t heard Him because I had never pleaded with Him.

Five ways to discern God’s will come to mind: asking through prayer, confirming God’s response through Scripture, consulting a third party whose opinion is unrelated to the matter at hand, maintaining faith that God always guides me toward what is good, waiting patiently, and making the decision at the very last moment. In this process, God speaks through the Bible, through other people, and sometimes directly through audible voice. It is truly amazing how God fulfills His vision and plan through one person’s life, and that life is truly blessed. How precious and valuable it is that one person’s life can influence so many others. It’s like the principle of one seed falling and bearing much fruit. Miracles like healing the sick through laying on of hands and prayer, the incident where a former captain immediately joined a prayer meeting upon hearing a voice during prayer saying a ship was needed, the conversion of an old Swiss hotel into a school, and YWAM’s city march amidst the tragic events following the Arab terrorists’ hostage-taking of Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympics in Germany— All these events were too meticulously planned and deliberate to be mere coincidences or luck; I could only acknowledge them as God’s guidance.

After reading this book, what challenges me is that I too have developed a desire to hear God’s voice. While I confess with my lips that He is the God of Abraham, the idea that this God speaks directly to me is truly thrilling and amazing. It occurred to me that it’s not so much that God hasn’t spoken directly to me until now, but rather that I might not yet be ready to hear His voice, or that He may have spoken many times already and I simply didn’t hear Him. Perhaps my own voice was too loud to hear God’s quiet whisper, or maybe I deliberately chose not to hear. I pray to devote myself more to a life of devotion, to receive ears of the soul that can deeply hear God’s voice speaking to me, and to be granted a heart that can obey that voice.