I’d like to start today with a question: Has there ever been a time in your life you have heard from God? It could be something big or small, through a song, through your heart, through a friend, but really ask yourself – have you heard from God? If your answer is no or you seem unsure as to why not, let me ask you another question – Have you ever listened for God? Have you ever taken the time to just sit and listen and wait for a response? Not many of us have actually done that.

It’s not a secret in our western culture that our lives are so full of noise. Families, relationships, social media, loud exhausts on vehicles, headphones in the gym, even in a classic Christmas movie –

“…and then, oh, the noise! Oh the noise, noise, noise, NOISE! They’ll bang on tong-tinglers. They’ll blow their floo-flounders. They’ll crash on jang-jinglers and bounce on boing-bounders.” (How the Grinch Stole Christmas)“

We are in a constant state of noise and wonder why we have so much anxiety built up and can’t sleep at night. We sit and “doomscroll” daily with 15 to 30 second video clips on Instagram and YouTube and wonder why we have so many issues resting our minds. We were never designed to absorb so much information so fast. So, I’ll ask a question similar to the one I asked before – Have you ever taken the time to just sit in silence? If you’re a military veteran like me, it’s hard to do because all you hear is that awful ringing in your ear from tinnitus. But if you can manage to sit in utter silence and not say anything for a while, it can be powerful.

I was watching an Instagram clip the other day like I normally do. I’m also a victim of the doomscrolling so if I called it out, I’m guilty of it too. I’ve tried to get my algorithm right with things that are encouraging and fulfilling. Sometimes I get some funny stuff, but I’ve tried to get rid of the nonsense. I came across this pastor who I’ve been following on IG. His name is Preston Morrison. I saw this IG reel in which he spoke about not talking or saying anything but rather being silent in God’s presence and waiting until you’ll hear Him. Below is the clip – give it a watch:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Preston Morrison (@prestonmorrison)

So that got me thinking – If you personally know me, you know how much I like to talk. I am always trying to talk and speak. And sometimes it’s a competition to who can take control of the conversation and lead it. Even if I do not have anything productive to say, I just talk. But this moment seemed different. To give a quick backstory to all this – I woke up one morning in March of this year and really felt a tug in my soul to start reading my bible again and to start taking it seriously. To start taking God and sin seriously. Since then, I’ve been really digging deep, trying to get into a routine where He is a part of my daily lifestyle. Not as a religious thing or a cliche label, but more so to just spend that time with God.

If you have a family, kids, or close friends, you want to spend time with them naturally. You do activities, hang out, watch movies, etc. But if you only spent 1 hour on Sunday with them and didn’t do anything during the week and communicate with them, what kind of relationship do you think you would have? It sounds absurd right? Who in a committed relationship would do that? But It’s the same thing with God. Many of us only give him that little slice of time on a Sunday and that’s it for the week. So, there’s really no relationship or communion. You’ve only checked off the box. And again, I am not perfect because I struggle with all of you. I’m looped in the same category which is why I’m always continuing to grow and learn. I just want to say it publicly so you all can see we are not alone in this.

So, when I got done seeing this IG post, I went into my room and sat at my computer. It’s hard for me to sit in utter silence because of my tinnitus, so I have a fan and put on some instrumental worship music I found on YouTube. And I just sat at my desk. Eyes closed and didn’t say a word. I focused on my breathing and just relaxed. And I thought about my life. My past, the present, and where I would like to go in the future. I didn’t meditate on “the universe trying to validate my feelings”, I just mediated on God, where God brought me, and what He has done for me. Below is one of the videos I sat and listened to giving the credit to William Augusto.

I have a journal that my mother gave to me in 2013 right before I deployed to Afghanistan. In that journal were the words of many people who knew my family and me. Many people wrote in it. There were words of encouragement, words of wisdom, and things that people wrote to me I never really cherished until many many years later. So while I sat at my desk and kept silent, I wrote in that journal. I wrote about the exact things we are discussing right now. I wrote to myself, and I wrote to God. And after I was done, I sat in silence for some more time. Then I flipped to the very first page in the journal. My old High School Principal/Headmaster wrote in there giving me words of encouragement. (And Mr. Salvatelli if you ever see this thank you from the bottom of my heart).

You see, what I haven’t discussed yet is for a long time I was feeling a sense of hopelessness, worry, and anxiety about my future. Like my life wasn’t where I wanted it to be. I felt that after doing 11 years in the military and doing over 10+ years in the public sector, I felt as if I’ve already lived my life to the fullest. That things were already set to remain as they are until it’s time to die. But I read the first thing my High School principal wrote which was Psalm 32:8 (NKJV) –

8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye."

Another version says this:

8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. 
     I will advise you and watch over you." (New Living Translation)

Then he wrote to me “when the Lord has instructed, you are ready.” Mind you, these words were written to me over 13 years ago as I was preparing to head to Afghanistan for 9 months. But in 2025, these words rang true. For a long time, I had many desires that were above just wanting God. I was worried about the future and about life. But after reading those words, it was like God directly speaking to me in a small whisper like voice. Telling me personally that he will guide my life, advise me, and watch over me. But God also has a very funny sense of humor. The next verse in Psalm 32:9 said this:

9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
    that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

I read this verse and laughed out loud in tears hysterically. You see I love horses and the western lifestyle and culture. Horses have impacted my life in a very special way. They are so and near and dear to me. In fact, when I came home from a military deployment in 2021, my mother-in-law’s Quarter Horse/Morgan really helped me with my mental health. And one of the things I really desire to have in life is to be around horses and live that lifestyle. I’d consider myself a decent rider, but I definitely do not know it all. There’s a lot more I will share regarding my “horse life” later on in another blog post.

But through the laughter there was a lesson with this too. With most horses, you need a bit and bridle to turn their head and help them move where you want to go. Some horses are more stubborn than others. But with enough training and time, the rider will develop a special bond. When the bond between horse and rider is in sync with one another, the need for a bit and bridle is not heavily relied on as the horse will rely on the “cues” you give them. I took this commentary out of my study bible:

“God describes some people as being like horses or mules that have to be controlled by bits and bridles. Rather than letting God guide them step by step, they stubbornly leave God only one option. If God was to keep them useful for him, he must use discipline and punishment. God longs to guide us with love and wisdom rather than punishment. He offers to teach us with the best way to go. Accept the advice written in God’s word and don’t let your stubbornness keep you from obeying God.”

Sometimes, God has to use a special bit to get our attention and to guide us where we need to go. The goal is hopefully as you get older and walk with God more, the need to use a bit goes away and you rely on His “cues” to lead and direct you. I hope and pray that this post here brings you some encouragement. I enjoyed writing it and hope you the reader are encouraged.

-Mike