On the road with and for the Lord

How Can You Hear from God in Your Life?

In the “Life Story” section, everyday people offer a glimpse into their lives and how God has spoken within them. This time, it’s Bert and Dinie Varwijk who share. They live in Nunspeet, have five grown children, have traveled extensively, and have experienced much. Come read the story of God in their journey.

A Warm Welcome

We’re kindly welcomed into the cozy living room of the couple. Bert begins to share right away. When it comes to hearing God’s voice, a number of Bible verses are meaningful to him. One of them is Psalm 27:8: “Seek My face.” “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

Bert’s Story

Bert: “I come from a business family of believers. Since birth, I’ve had issues with my back. I lived with pain and often asked God why. My father once said: ‘Go out to the back of the land or to a forest, alone. Ask if God is a speaking God. If no answer comes, there is no God.’

One evening, after work and in pain, I decided to try what my father suggested. I drove to the forest, got out, and began walking. I asked, ‘Lord, if You exist, will You speak to me?’ Nothing happened, but I started feeling afraid it was very dark. I even thought an angel might appear, so I hid behind a tree. Still, nothing happened.

A few days later, as I lay in bed praying, the Holy Spirit touched me. It was a profound experience almost as if I left my body. I asked, ‘Lord, are You taking me to heaven now? There I’ll be free from pain.’

Before that encounter, I would read the Bible occasionally. But afterward, I read with deep interest. I began to have dreams: I was driving a bus, and I told God, ‘I can’t speak well, but I can drive.’ I felt the desire to drive for God, to travel across nations with young people from different churches.

In 1977, I joined a Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth With a Mission (YWAM). After that, I joined the staff and drove a bus to various countries—bringing and picking up young believers to and from the ship Anastasis, which we later became part of. My dream was fulfilled.”

Dinie’s Story

Just then, Dinie comes in with a tray of coffee and tea, sits down, and shares her story.

Dinie: “I attended the teacher training college (then called the pedagogical academy). In my graduation year, I came to faith. I wanted to go to Bible school. I told God, ‘If I receive a Bible school brochure in my mailbox, I’ll see that as confirmation.’ But no brochure came. Instead, I remembered Paul’s words that you may remain in the place where you were called (1 Corinthians 7:20). So after graduation, I decided to begin teaching.

While searching for a job, I saw an opening in Oldebroek. At that moment, I heard a voice behind me: ‘This is the place.’ I had no idea where Oldebroek was, but I applied, was hired, and began teaching there.

One day, someone invited me to a Youth With a Mission gathering at Heidebeek, in Heerde. I loved the atmosphere, the worship, and the teaching—it stirred a deep desire to attend more often. At a missions conference, I spoke with a family preparing to return to Chad. They were looking for a teacher for their children—possibly I could be that teacher.

I visited the family and took time to seek confirmation about going to Chad, but I never received it. Not long after, war broke out there and the family had to return to the Netherlands. That was sad, but for me, it was also confirmation.

I thought of the verse from Psalms that says we may delight ourselves in the Lord, and He will give the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). I signed up for the DTS and began in 1979.”

How Did You Meet Each Other?

Bert: “I was a staff member with the DTS (Discipleship Training School), and Dinie was a student.” Dinie: “After the lecture phase, we went on outreach to Russia.”

Bert: “I joined as the bus driver. Before the trip, I received two scriptures: ‘Ride out victoriously’ (Psalm 45) and ‘He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken’ (Psalm 34:21). I didn’t understand them. Floyd McClung said: ‘Maybe you’ll go out with ease, but not return that way.’ And that’s what happened. On the last day in Russia, we were in a terrible accident. I tried to pass a truck that suddenly swerved left. The bus was totaled, and I was stuck behind the wheel.”

Dinie shows us photos of the bus and adds: “Bert started praying in tongues and broke the steering wheel. You can't just break a steering wheel  it was God who did that. His legs were still stuck, so they had to unscrew the seat. He went to the hospital but hadn’t broken a single bone  exactly as the verse had said. On the train back, I started feeling drawn to Bert. A little over a year later (in May 1981), we got married.”

How Do You Know Something Is from God?

Bert: “God does speak, but often we don’t notice. We need to pay attention.”

Dinie: “I’ve noticed that Bert tends to hear God’s voice before I do. One time, we were camping in Friesland and someone gave us a flyer about an orphanage in Lebanon. On the building was written ‘Light of the World.’ A year after we married, YWAM asked who felt called to Lebanon. We prayed and had the impression we should go. It was hard to find housing there, but eventually our contact found a place  and on that building was written: Light of the World. It was the same building as on the flyer!”

Bert: “Without knowing it, we were getting clues about where we’d end up.”

Dinie: “I was pregnant with our eldest son at the time. Even though the situation wasn’t safe, I felt completely safe. God was with us.”

Bert: “During the pregnancy, a doctor at Heidebeek said: ‘You’ll have a Joseph and Mary experience.’ It was a prophetic word, but we set it aside at the time. Our son Matthijs was born, and shortly after, war broke out. We had to flee. The border was open, and we arrived in Jerusalem. We had no money and couldn’t find a place to stay. Eventually we made our way to Bethlehem and ended up in a thick-walled stable. That was the Joseph and Mary experience! The next morning, we found money on our suitcase so we could continue our journey. God provided what we needed!”

How Do You Handle Words You’re Not Sure Are from God?

Bert: “We’re careful when it comes to hearing God’s voice. Sometimes it takes years before something you believe God said actually happens. And you can wonder how to interpret it.”

Dinie: “We don’t see everything and sometimes we tend to fill in the blanks ourselves, but we’re learning to surrender that to God. During my DTS, someone gave me a prophecy that I would speak many languages. I haven’t spoken many languages  but I’ve visited many countries.”

Bert: “If we’re not sure about something, we put the idea on the shelf. If it’s from God, it’ll come back.”

Finally Any Message You Want to Share with the Readers?

Bert: “Hold on!” Dinie: “That’s exactly what I wanted to say too: hold on! Keep expecting. God is truly trustworthy.”