“LISTEN”
to
The
Sound of His Voice
“Well,
I don’t hear from God like you do.” my husband said to me one day in anger.
All
I reacted to was my husband’s anger and displeasure of me. Why didn’t I listen to
what he was really saying?
Only
two weeks earlier and for the first 35 or 40 years of my life, I had never heard God speak to me
either. I read my Bible when I had time or was not too tired. So I heard what God was saying
in His Word and that was good.
However,
it still seemed like a one-way conversation when I prayed. No one ever told me that we could
hear from God, so I had never tried to hear. I just talked to Him in prayer, mainly asking Him
to bless my family and everyone I knew. And to get me out of trouble from time to time. Then,
of course, I always thanked Him.
But
I never heard Him say to my spirit, “You’re welcome.”, until I accepted His sweet
Holy Spirit as a vital part of His Trinity. After that, I heard from God, the Holy Spirit, on
a regular and increasing basis. So much so, that I would constantly forget that not everyone,
even many Christian leaders in the churches, hear from God in their spirit.
This
morning I was thinking about the difference in the Old Testament and the New Testament, especially
after Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit. And later, when He went to Heaven but God sent
the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, empower and teach us many things. The Holy Spirit will help
us find answers to many questions when we learn to hear His voice, like when He says to our spirit, “This
is the way; walk here.”
In
the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit hadn’t been poured out as it is today. I became curious
to find out who were the people God talked to personally. Some He talked to face to face
in an audible voice. Other times He sent them messages by angels, and through His chosen prophets
and priests. His words, through the prophets, became the written Word of God.
FEAR GOD
(Ecclesiastes
12:13)
All
this time the people were taught to Fear God…and keep His Commandments. Who
wouldn’t fear God when they heard His Voice roar from Heaven, saw Him part the Red Sea, and
destroy armies from time to time? Yes, they feared God.
They
worshipped God, honored Him, sacrificed to Him, obeyed their priests and words of the prophets, but
did you ever think about…how they longed for the Messiah to come?
And
here we are living in the times after the Messiah came, and one of the blessings is that God now
abides in us. We are His temple, and we can hear the Holy Spirit when He speaks to us.
I
think I would have feared God, too, if I had lived in those days. I would certainly have counted
myself as unworthy to hear from God for myself. I would have had to ask the prophets and priest
to tell me what God was saying. I doubt seriously that I would have had a Bible, if I were
able to read.
But,
Oh, Praise God for this New and Better Covenant…that we live under now. Read about it
in Hebrews 8:6-13 and see how much better it is.
First the Law…then Grace.
It
is in this Second Covenant that we can overcome our Fear of the Lord. Especially, when we hear
Him say to our spirit, “I love you.” And, “Fear not.”
Now,
our relationship with the Lord has become personal. And this is so much what our Lord desires
of us at this time. Remember:
Perfect
Love Casts Out Fear
(I John
4:18)
[A daily
Angel Food Recipe Card]
No,
not every Christian hears from God, and I must remember that. Or, they hear from Him a different
way. But, He does so want us all to hear His voice and become familiar with it.
You
may be on a busy sub-way, in an important phone conversation at work, riding to or from work…and
the Holy Spirit can speak something into your spirit that feels like a real knowing about
the next choice you need to make that day. Recognizing Him; give the Holy Spirit credit,
and let Him know that you want to become more familiar with the sound of His Voice.
God Has
A Purpose In All of This
Please Listen
for
THE
SOUND OF HIS VOICE
ACTION: Practice Listening
