This summer I had a dream. Now, I rarely dream anything I remember, so when I do, I pay attention. The Lord speaks to us in dreams, and I long for more—but I also treasure them because I know there is purpose.

In the dream, I saw my daughter sitting in a classroom. She was taking psychology and art. That was it—super simple. I woke up the next day and shared the dream with her, asking what her thoughts might be. “I wonder if you are supposed to go back to an actual school?” I asked.

Backstory: she’s been homeschooled for three years and has experienced extreme loneliness building over this last season—which my spirit knew even in my sleep. And the Lord allowed my sleep to reveal the solution.

She quickly responded, “I think I would love that.” And so… we shifted. That day. Enrolling, paperwork, classes, schedules, transcripts—the whole thing. It was wild, and it was SO right.

Paying attention to his words, our dreams, and what we hear is a big deal to God. It’s mentioned over 125 times in Scripture. As we prepare our hearts for what feels like impending revival and trial, our dreams—and what we hear and see—will be manna for the days ahead.

“Listen carefully, my dear child, to everything that I teach you, and pay attention to all that I have to say. Fill your thoughts with my words until they penetrate deep into your spirit. Then, as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life and radiant health into the very core of your being. So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life. Avoid dishonest speech and pretentious words.… Watch where you’re going. Stick to the path of truth.… Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked for even a moment or take the detour that leads to darkness.”

Proverbs 4:20–27 TPT

And here’s the thing: paying attention isn’t passive. It’s not sitting back, waiting for skywriting. It’s leaning forward while cultivating a heart that listens for the whisper. It’s taking the seemingly small, ordinary nudges of the Spirit seriously—because they often carry the seeds of breakthrough.

We all remember Samuel as a young boy, confused by the voice in the night until Eli helped him understand:

“When you hear the voice again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening'”.

1 Samuel 3:9 NIV

God is still speaking in dreams, in conversations, in the quiet ache of our children, and in the pages of Scripture—and it’s our honor to say yes, to notice, to guard what he entrusts to us.

And when we do? Life shifts. Sometimes quickly, like with my daughter’s schooling. Other times slowly, like the growth of a new fruit tree waiting for the juicy harvest or the healing of our hearts after trauma. Either way, it’s holy ground.

I believe we are entering into days when the people of God will be marked not by their titles or platforms, but by their attentiveness. By those who know how to pause, discern, and obey. By those who don’t brush past the dream, the word, the scripture, the impression—but hold it, pray over it, and walk it out.

Friend, this is how revival will take root in us. Not through busyness, but through attentiveness. Not through striving, but through surrender and rest in THE WORD.

So I ask you—where is he inviting you to pay attention?

Is there a recurring dream you’ve dismissed as random?

A verse that keeps resurfacing in your reading? 

A conversation that stirred something deeper than words?

A child or friend whose quiet need reflects God’s invitation for you to respond?

Pay attention. Write it down. Pray it through. Act on it, even if it feels small. Because in God’s Kingdom, the small things carry eternal weight.

And remember this powerful proverb:

“Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life.”

Proverbs 4:23 TPT

The more attuned we are to him, the more his life flows through us into a weary world.

So this summer, my daughter’s schedule shifted. But honestly, so did mine. I’m shifting too—toward a life that refuses to overlook the whisper. A life that slows down enough to listen. A life that pays attention.

Because in the end, what we pay attention to IS what shapes us. And I, for one, want to be shaped by his voice.

We went to orientation the first day of school and my daughter got her schedule. Psychology and Art were the classes that “fit her needs” and fit with the classroom openings. Indeed, they were. I’m so thankful we paid attention.

Widow’s Might is a 365-day devotional offering powerful stories of women who have walked the path of widowhood and found solace, strength, and peace along the way. Each day provides

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