04/24/2018
Do you pray, and when you pray, does God meet you there? When He does, people have a great deal to ask of Him and begin doing so immediately, but the most important moment in our prayers is not what we say to Him, but when God speaks to us. The most powerful moments in most biblical accounts begins with the Lord speaking, but do we hear Him when He speaks to us? Are we listening? How do we answer Him? Do we acknowledge Him at all, or just sit dumb in silence? Then, if we do hear, how do we respond? Do we say “Here am I Lord.”?
“Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."”
Acts 9:10-12 ESV
The story of Paul begins on the road to Damascus with Jesus speaking to him, but in that first encounter he wasn’t yet a believer and his name was Saul of Tarsus. Listen to his first response, it is very different from that of Ananias... He asks “Who are you, Lord?”.
“Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
Acts 9:3-5 ESV
When we first begin our lives as believers this is quite often how it begins. We don’t really know who is calling us, and we begin with a question. This happened to Paul, it happened to Moses, and it happened to Samuel...
“And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.”
1 Samuel 3:8-9 ESV
When God calls us how do we answer? Samuel didn’t know who was calling him, and had to be told how to respond. Moses turned fearfully away from the burning bush and had to be called back by God before he finally answered “Here am I”, and Paul’s first response was “Who are you”. Each account began with God or Jesus speaking. We are spoken to as well; do you listen, and if so, how do you respond? Does it frighten you, bewilder you, leave you in awe, or do you convince yourself it is someone else speaking to you, as Samuel did?
However our own story unfolds, it will begin with God or Jesus speaking. You might feel an urge to come, but when the Lord is ready to use you He will call your name. The question becomes this... are you waiting to hear His voice? When you pray, are you listening more than you speak? When you are going about your everyday life are your ears attuned to the voice of God? When you slumber and dreams come upon you, are you seeing them with spiritual eyes? When taken to that place where visions come upon you, do you explain them away, or stand and say “Here am I!”?
God’s voice speaks to us in wonderful and awesome ways, but are we ready to hear it? If we fell off our horse and we’re blinded, would we explain God’s voice away as a natural occurrence of hitting our head, or pray as Saul did, see visions of Ananias, and have our eyesight returned?
These stories are not meant to entertain us, but to teach us how to respond when God calls out to us. They instruct us in what to listen for, and how to react when the voice, dream, or vision presents itself. These biblical stories are like fire drills for our own spirituality; they are the signs on the wall that direct us to the nearest exit, and safety. They teach us how to react when we smell the smoke of incense. Are you ready? How will you react?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your Word that teaches me so much about you, and my life with you. I thank you for your voice as I pray, your signs and wonders in my day, and the dreams in my sleep. You call me Father, and I know it is you because I read of men such as Paul, Samuel, and Moses. I listen for you always, and anticipate you every moment of the day and night. I am so amazed Lord that you would speak to someone like me, and find it worth your while to reach out to me... a sinner who could not save himself if it weren’t for the blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Teach me to listen more intently, and to answer more quickly when you call. Give me confidence that the scales will fall from my eyes as they did for Saul, give me the leadership of Moses, and the foresight of Samuel. Call me Holy Father, and I will answer, because I know your voice by your Word. Speak and I will answer... “Here am I”. Meet me on the road during the day, and in my dreams by night because there I will wait for you. Great is your name, and powerful you voice, and I will follow you always.
Rich Forbes