My wife Laurie’s brother, Chad, is an avid backpacker and mountain climber. During the summer of 1985, he decided to scale Humboldt Peak in Colorado (14,064 feet).
At about 13,000 feet, a blizzard hit with 50 mph winds, forcing Chad and his two partners to crawl the rest of the way on all fours.
On the descent, Chad’s friends decided to go down another way. He didn’t know they weren’t behind him — until he heard someone calling his name: “Chad!” When he looked around, all he could see was a wall of snow rumbling like a tidal wave behind him. He leaped toward some boulders for shelter. The avalanche missed him by 30 feet!
When it was quiet again he called out to his friends Dave and Brad — no answer. They later reunited, and Chad wrote in his letter to us: “The curious thing about this assault on Humboldt Peak was that neither Dave nor Brad called to me after they separated and crossed the ridge. They couldn’t see me or the avalanche that threatened my own doom. I can only think that it was the voice of the Lord, preserving me for some work that is yet to be accomplished.”
God knows Chad, and out of love and concern for him, literally called him by name, saving his life. The Bible says God knows and loves you — and calls you by name. By that I don’t mean “Fred, get your act together!” His voice is usually much more subtle than that!
Though God does on rare occasions literally call out to us, His voice more often than not takes the form of His leading our lives in specific ways — Scripture reading, sermons, a friend’s counsel, conscience, open/closed doors, etc. He is leading; all we need do is follow.