08/13/2017
Does God speak to you every day? If your answer is no, are you certain of that? It is my experience that God seldom shouts at us; His voice is gentle and requires a certain stillness of spirit if we are to converse with Him. Still yourself and listen.
“Do not quench the Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 5:19 ESV
I have told of this experience once before, but there are many who are new to these devotionals and it is a wonderful example of God acting in our lives today, so please forgive me...
I have a friend who is the pastor of a church here in Nashville, and who makes frequent trips to the Middle East to win souls to Jesus there. It is a dangerous calling, but God sustains and protects him in it. A few weeks ago I was writing the prayer portion of my morning devotional... it was 4:30 in the morning. I remember the time precisely because as I prayed and wrote, the Holy Spirit spoke to me... not in the usual way but in a quiet shout as if something was wrong and I needed to act right away. I was told to pray for my friend, and to do it RIGHT NOW! I didn't have to ask how I should pray; I felt a sense of urgency and danger... so I looked up from my writing, and as I began to pray I saw that it was 4:30 on the dot.
Now I pray for this friend every day! The Lord gave me that assignment the first day I met this man, but this morning was different, so I prayed for his protection, his courage, his discernment, his strength of body, mind, and spirit. I prayed for many things so quickly and fluently that it seemed as though I was being led in a foreign tongue as the words rolled from my mouth.
Finally, when it was over, I couldn't shake the emotion of fear. The adrenaline that you feel when you grab a child back from the edge of a precipice, or escape an attacking animal, was coursing through me. It stayed with me as I completed my morning devotional, as I dressed for work, as I drove to the office, and then I heard the whisper... "Email Him." So I jotted down what had happened and sent it. At that moment I felt at ease; it was as if the danger had abated.
Two hours later I received a response from my friend, and it opened with him telling me that as he read my email he called out "Oh My God!" You see, he had been awakened at precisely 4:30 by a "night vision" and had been told not to go to a certain place he had planned to visit. He didn't understand why and had been in fervent prayer for four and a half hours as he had questioned God regarding this. My email was the confirmation he had been seeking... he would not go to this place!
God spoke to us at the exact same moment and in the same voice, but for different reasons. He spoke to my friend to keep him safe and let him know that He was there to protect him, and He spoke to me so that I would pray for my pastor friend, deliver a confirmation to him, and bless me in the process.
None of this was above a whisper, and yet we were attuned to it, and in my case it was an intensely emphatic whisper; the kind that soldiers would utter to one another when the enemy was close, the danger was immediate, and they were in fear of being discovered.
God, more often than not, speaks to us in a slight voice. His voice is slight but the words are powerful. Our part is to be prepared to hear them... and then obey. This is a conversation that those who haven't participated in it often enough might misconstrue as a whim, or a thought. Often, as in the case of my pastor friend, it will require us to pray things like "is that you Father?" or, "Please say that again Lord, I could barely hear you!" And sometimes we will ask "Can this cup be taken from me?"
Two of my favorite scriptures deal with the quiet nature of God. I will share them with you for your contemplation as you pray today...
“"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"”
Psalms 46:10 ESV
And my all-time favorite is this one, because it speaks directly to God's voice as I hear it...
“And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"”
1 Kings 19:11-13 ESV
God gets our attention in different ways... some of them subtle, and others bold, but then He speaks to us in a near whisper, so low and soft that we could miss it if we were not careful. Our spirit must always be prepared to receive Him; we should never dull it's edge or quench it's fire. Then after God has spoken we need to act... we need to do His will.
Are you listening? Do you hear Him? Are you faithful and confident enough to obey?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your voice in my life, and I pray that I don't miss a word of what you have for me. I still myself in your presence, and I seek you in every breath I take. Guide me Holy Spirit as I search out the voice of the Father and the presence of Christ. Help me to understand every whispered word, and to do as He asks. Precious Jesus hear my prayers and take them before the Lord God our Father. Present them as my petition for His love and attention as I lead my life in dedicated service to Him. Strengthen me as I say "get the behind me Satan" to those things that would stifle my faith, or make me feel less of our relationship. Hone my hearing and prayer so that not a day goes by that we do not speak intimately with one another. Your voice is soft as fine ground flour, and flows like oil over me... may I pleasure in your Word and suffer in your will forever, for you are my God, and in you there is no lack of faithfulness... you are forever bound to your truth and Word, and I lean on you as a child at His father's side. Praised be your name, and worthy are you in all praise and glory.
Rich Forbes