Have you ever wondered how God speaks?
Do you feel that He seems to be silent most ofthe time?
Are you anxious that God does not seem to beanswering your prayers ?
Is your heart troubled because of not seeingsigns of God's work?
Or feeling that God is so far away from oursuffering world?

My little girl surprised me with herattentiveness to things around her.
When she began to say out loud the brand namesof famous handbags one day,
I asked her, “where do you learn all these?
She smiled and said to me, “when you goshopping in the store and I get so bored, I look at what people are wearing andremember those names.”

Often times when we do not hear God speaks orsee God works,
it’s not because He did not but we missed it.
Our attention is often drawn to our owncircumstances and problems rather than God’s promises.
Our busyness can also diminish our ability tostop and listen or take time to notice.
Sometimes we put God and His work into a nicebox, limiting our perception of who He is and how He works.


When I took a walk today, I tried to slow down and be attentive and listen to God speaking
Then I noticed that signs of love and hope are everywhere only if we look with care
Hearts hanged on the fence in front of a day care center
Hugs and laughters of children bursting out like a sea of waves
Rainbow ornament hanged on a tree
A reminder of God’s promise to rescue and top reserve
And hope for a cleansed and habitable world  
But how did I miss the rainbow all these times that I passed by this same house?
And a beautiful doorway
An invitation to enter into a new world of adventure
Or to simply enjoy the hospitality of the host.

God, You probably put hundreds of signs and symbols around me everyday
I am glad that I caught three of them today
Please give us eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to receive
But most of all, the faith of a child to believe
That one day You will make all things new
There will be no more pain or tears
No more hurting of one another
The lamb and the wolf, the leopard and the baby goat, the calf and the lion, the baby and the cobra will lie down and play with each other without harm
Your world will once again return to the original beauty and harmony you intended

But in the meantime, please help us to endure
To be the signs and symbols of your love and hope
And Your in carnational presence in a world waiting to be fully redeemed.