08/13/2023
Does God speak to you every day? If your answer is “no, not every day”, are you certain of that? It is my experience that God seldom shouts out loud at us; His voice is gentle and requires a certain stillness of spirit if we are to converse with Him. Make it a point to silence yourself and listen for what scripture calls his small still voice… if you quiet yourself in this way, and do not quench the spirit, then you will find that in the silence that surrounds you His whisper will become like a shout.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit… He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. ”
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-19, 24 ESV
I have written of the following experience once before, but there are many of you who are new to these devotionals and it is a wonderful example of how God acts in our lives today, so please forgive me for the repetition...
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 sudden 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.
It isn’t unusual for me to pray for my friend because I pray for him every day! The Lord asked me to do this on the first day I met Pastor Adane, but this morning was different. God’s voice was intense so I prayed amidst my moanings 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 with the words flowing 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 there at my desk, I heard the whisper again... "Email Him." So I jotted down what had happened to me earlier and sent it. At that moment I finally 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 that he had planned to visit. He didn't understand why, and had been in fervent prayer for four and a half hours as he questioned God regarding this. My email was the confirmation he had been seeking... he would not go to this place!
You see, God had spoken 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 from harm and to let him know that He was there to protect him. He spoke to me so that I would pray for my pastor friend, and to deliver a message of confirmation to him. The Lord used me, and blessed 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 small but the words are powerful. Our part is to be prepared to hear what he says... and then obey Him. This is a conversation that those who haven't participated in it often enough might misconstrue as imagination, or a passing 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?"
I have two favorite scriptures that 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 describes God's voice as He spoke to Elijah, and is often how we will hear it...
“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake 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 a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:11-13 KJV
God gets our attention in different ways... some of them subtle, and others bold, but when He speaks to us it is usually in a near whisper, so low and soft that we could miss it if we were not listening carefully. Our spirit must always be prepared to receive Him; we should never dull its edge or quench its fire. Then after God has spoken to us, we need to act on what He has said... we need to do His will.
Are you listening right now? Do you hear Him? Are you faithful and confident enough to recognize the voice as being His, and are you faithful 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 my 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 thee behind me Satan" to all 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... help me to take 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 leans against His father's side. Praised be your name Lord, and worthy are you to receive my worship, and glory forevermore.
“again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.””
Hebrews 4:7
Rich Forbes