Listening to God Archives

When God speaks

My blog posts this week is about listening to God.

He speaks to servants who listen.

But sometimes God whispers.

Why is that?

GOD’S WHISPER IS PERSONAL

When did you last whisper to someone?

Chances are, it was someone you love. We don’t whisper in the ears of strangers. God whispers to those he loves too.

Scripture records God’s whispered voice in 1 Kings 19. This is one of the most touching passages in the Bible.

Elijah’s experience with God took place after his public stand against the prophets of Baal. The Lord had shown himself to the people when Elijah’s altar was consumed by fire from heaven. Everyone witnessed the power of God, and the prophets of Baal were defeated and killed. But, when Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life, the prophet was afraid and fled into the hills.

Elijah traveled for forty days and ended up in a cave on Mount Sinai. Some commentaries suggest it could have been the cave on Mount Sinai, the cave where Moses had met with God. When God wanted to whisper to his prophet, he took him to a place where he knew Elijah would listen.

When God whispers, his words are personal and private. They are his message to you, before they become a message for others.

GOD’S WHISPER HAS A PURPOSE

There have been countless sermons and books from this passage about Elijah. The prophet was afraid, dejected, depressed, and alone, and this is soon after he had prayed for fire from heaven. The people who saw the miracle recognized the power of God, but the prophet was still afraid of Jezebel’s threats.

Elijah has always been considered the great prophet of Israel. It is just like God to provide his people with a story like Elijah’s so that every generation would learn from his example. People tend to look for greatness in other people, in other things. Every prophet, from Elijah to today, is simply a human being whose greatness is a product of God’s.

Elijah was in a cave when an angel of the Lord came to him and said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord” (1 Kings 19:11). God wanted to speak a personal message to Elijah, meet his needs, and direct his path. God was going to whisper to the prophet, and he wanted Elijah to listen.

God still whispers his purpose and plans to his people today.

GOD’S WHISPER IS POWERFUL

Elijah stood before the Lord, and “he passed by.” Scripture says that “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” (1 Kings 19:11–12).

Everyone has needed to alter their life this past year. I have masks in my car, in my purse, and in my home. A lot of God’s people, myself included, have looked at this past year and wondered if the Lord was speaking to our American culture. My only answer to that question is maybe.

On the other hand, if I stand on the mountain with Elijah, I see things differently.

Are we supposed to look for God in a virus, in the news, in the government, and in the storms? What if God wants us to seek his voice in the quiet?

After the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, there was “the sound of a low whisper” (1 Kings 19:12). The Bible says, “when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out” (v. 13).

God’s voice was most powerful when it was most personal.

God’s words to Elijah were whispered because the prophet was close and listening. That’s why Elijah covered his head. God was so near that the prophet was careful to be reverent. In that moment, nothing else mattered except hearing God’s quiet voice.

When God whispers to us, it is for our ears only—and we should strain to catch every word.

GOD’S WHISPER IS OUR PEACE

God spoke directly to Elijah’s needs. Elijah felt alone and dejected. As a prophet, he was supposed to convince people of their need for God and help them return to faith and obedience. But, when Elijah called fire from heaven, giving proof of God’s existence, he only made Jezebel more of an enemy. Elijah needed to measure success differently.

God told Elijah to return and anoint new kings over Israel and Judah. God also told him to anoint Elisha as the new prophet for these kings. Then God told Elijah which king would be responsible for Elisha’s death.

God didn’t whisper that everything would be fine. He told Elijah that most of the people would not change, but some would. God said, “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18).

God didn’t whisper that everything would be fine. God whispered his will, and Elijah was fine.

GOD’S WHISPER IS HIS WORD

Do you expect God will whisper to you?

Our generation of faith is blessed to have access to his word every moment of every day. We can Google a verse, grab a Bible, or download a sermon at any time. Never in history has God’s word been more available to people. But access to God’s word doesn’t mean people will be convinced.

This is an important time in history to remember that Jesus said, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14). Our promise is never most. In fact, it isn’t even many. Success is measured as some, those who hear and receive the truth about salvation in Christ.

Take a moment to draw close to Jesus.

Then allow him to whisper his words to you.

Hear Jesus quietly say, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Allow his words to be personal and powerful and to bring you peace—if you have chosen to walk that narrow path.

Allow the whisper to remind you that you are close to his voice, and the Lord will strengthen you to walk his purpose, regardless of others’ opinions.

And listen closely for God to guide you to the people who need to hear that the Savior died for them too.

God still whispers his words to those who will listen.

God’s whisper is his word to you.

Draw close—and listen.

*Original posting for this blog was July 19, 2022

Taking time isn’t wasting time

Ilove the quiet.

Sometimes the noise levels in our culture seem extreme.

As I pass by other people on my morning walk, I so often see them using ear pods and cell phones for company, education, or entertainment. There is a lot of information available online.

Our ministry provides a lot of “God-information” online.

But, I wonder how often the people I pass take time away from the “talk” to hear the voice of God speak to their thoughts.

The power of the quiet

Last winter, we lost power for most of the day for several days. The quiet was eerie. Even as I type, I can hear the fan running on our air conditioner, the washing machine sloshing the clothes around, and the keys of my computer tapping out these words.

We are seldom without noises, even in the quiet hours of the night. Things would have been very different in the first century. The kind of quiet that seemed eerie to me last winter would have been normal back then.

I don’t just appreciate the quiet; I need it. I often pick the early hours of the morning to write because, in the quiet, I can hear my own thoughts being redirected by God’s. I’ve often thought about the quiet David enjoyed while he was in the fields, watching the sheep. He probably spent a lot of time learning to play the harp and use his slingshot. He also had plenty of time to look around at the created world and think about God.

I imagine there were days he thought his life was boring and dull. I imagine he wished to be like his brothers, doing exciting things on the battlefield. David couldn’t know as a young man that God was growing him up to be a great king. He couldn’t know that generations of people would be blessed by the Twenty-third Psalm he wrote about God’s holy presence in our lives.

I’m sure there were days when David looked for distractions, but it was the quiet that enabled him to know God. Knowing God enabled David to be a king. Quiet can be a powerful tool in the Lord’s hand. It’s important to take the time to be quiet in this noisy world. We should ask God to speak his thoughts into the quiet moments and author our thoughts.

Who would we become in this world if we spent a lot of quiet time thinking with God?

Wise words for your walk

Paul spent time in the deserts of Arabia after he left Damascus. I think those were among the most important years of his life. He went from the highest levels of the demanding life of a Pharisee to months of quiet days spent in faithful desolation.

I imagine those quiet days in the desert helped him create the theology of the Christian faith that he would take on his missionary journeys and include in his many letters. I don’t think we can estimate the value of Paul’s months, possibly years, of quiet reflection.

Paul told the Ephesians, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15–17).

Some of Paul’s meaning gets lost in the English translation. He had just told the church to “wake up.” The culture of Ephesus was a lot like the American culture. Living in Ephesus was living in an oceanfront resort city with all manner of distraction. They had industry, education, entertainment, politics, and religions. The people who lived there did not lack for distraction, Christians included.

That’s why Paul told them to “wake up” and “look carefully” at how they were walking through their lives. He told them to make the “best use of the time, because the days are evil.” The word evil is best understood as anything that isn’t God’s purpose in our lives. We miss Paul’s point if we define evil like the dictionary would.

There is God’s plan for our lives, and everything else is not God’s plan. “Therefore,” Paul says, “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Foolish, according to Paul, is spending time doing things that aren’t part of God’s plan for our lives. The opposite of foolish is understanding God’s will and doing that.

If Paul were our counselor, he would have us examine the way we spend our time and list which moments are spent accomplishing God’s purpose and plan. Next, we would make a list of the things that don’t.

The first list is the “best” use of our time, and the second list we could label “foolish.”

Taking time isn’t wasting time

The great balance in the Christian life is understanding that taking time for the quiet isn’t wasting time in our “walk.” A quick glance at almost every book of the Bible will tell you that God’s people have always struggled with understanding what God wants us to do with our time.

The Israelites wanted to serve God. They ran into problems when they substituted serving rules and requirements for serving God. God doesn’t want our time commitment unless it also includes a commitment of our hearts.

God wants us to listen when he speaks. God wants us to understand the directions the Holy Spirit is speaking into our hearts and minds. God wants us to be wise about how we spend our time because the way we spend our time on earth directly impacts our lives eternal.

God owns the big picture, the eternal picture. When we take time to listen, pray, and study, we will spend time developing into the person who can walk through life directed by God’s Spirit.

I wonder who David would have been if he had spent his free time on a cell phone or computer. I doubt he would have volunteered to take down Goliath with a slingshot. If David had listened to music and podcasts all the time, would he have created his own psalms?

If Paul hadn’t taken the time to be alone with God in the desert, would he have been able to comprehend how the Old Testament laws were fulfilled by the life of Christ? Would he have understood his calling was to take the gospel to the Gentiles? Imagine our New Testament without Paul’s letters of theology.

It takes a lot of time with God to learn to walk with his Spirit. Your time with him is an eternal investment.

Take time

We spend a lot of time planning for a vacation. We research then make reservations. We spend time planning for the things we want to see and do. Finally, we make plans to ensure that everything will run smoothly at home while we are gone. What would a vacation be like if we didn’t take the time to plan for it?

What would Paul say to us if we spent more time planning a vacation from our daily lives than we did planning for God to use our daily lives?

If we don’t take time, we can waste our time.

What if our Bible heroes had avoided time with God?

Would David ever have been a king?

Would Paul ever have become a Christian missionary and theologian?

Taking time to be quiet isn’t wasting time. Instead, it’s probably the most important use of time for our choices today and our eternal reward.

How will you spend time walking quietly with God’s counsel today?

He will enjoy having that time with you.

Warmer times

In many ways, Texas recently became a parable for our culture.

During our long freeze, the weatherman promised the sun would return in a week, but the news anchor couldn’t predict when the power would be restored. Most of us were much more interested in the electricity than the weatherman’s promise for the coming week.

And that is a parable for those of us who want to share our faith.

Our best answer, the one we could count on, was a week away. Even still, we were less interested in the long-term answer because that power didn’t make promises for the moment, just the future. And, we need to hear many of God’s promises with that same perspective.

It was a tough week, and now things are better. The weatherman was right, and we are glad. I’ve spent the month writing about God’s voice and our need to listen.

What are the lessons from last week’s parable?

GOD OFFERS PERSPECTIVE

All of us go to God for today’s needs. Jesus taught us to pray for “our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). But Jesus also taught, “ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Jesus promised us his peace, but he also promised we would need it. This world is going to freeze again. Spring is coming, but so is another February.

It is so important to seek God’s voice for our lives, not just our days. His answers sometimes take years to receive or realize. Listening for God’s wisdom requires God’s perspective. Scripture, prayer, and God’s Holy Spirit can provide strength for the moments of our lives, but often his most important instruction is for eternal—not present—circumstances.

GOD WILL ALWAYS CONSIDER EVERYONE

The people in charge of the Texas power grid cut power to millions for a time so that everyone would have power in the future. Texas reserved power for those who needed it most. And those of us who did without were reminded of all we tend to take for granted.

But even when it got down to forty-something degrees in my kitchen, I was glad that my kids, and their kids, were warm. I was glad the hospitals had power. I was glad the cold was only for a week. And I was especially glad that the people who knew a lot more than me were responsible for making the tough choices.

I imagine it was a tremendously difficult decision for those who cut the power to people’s homes, knowing it was freezing outside. But, they did what was best, not what was easy.

God has a unique love for each of us. He has a plan for every life. And only God has the ability to take care of everyone forever. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Ash Wednesday got lost in the snow. But Cynthia Izaguirre, a Dallas newscaster, did her best to remind people things would get better and why. She closed the broadcast on Ash Wednesday, not with words of hope about electricity, but with words of eternal hope.

GOD’S WARMTH

I felt much warmer and much safer when our power was restored. I still wake up and smile because I know my coffee pot is out there and ready to go! I took a lot of things for granted, and I know I will likely take them for granted again.

But today, I am grateful.

The people in charge of the grid should have been better prepared. Hopefully, by the time February rolls around again, they will be. A lot of us in Texas had a bad week. Others will have a bad year trying to repair the damage. Still others lost their lives. The Texas power grid couldn’t thaw the snow or protect us, but the sun did. And that might be the biggest lesson from last week’s story.

The warmth God brought through the sun is what caused the snow to melt. Electricity kept us safe in our homes, but God’s provision is what enabled us to get back to normal. Last week was rough; this week is wonderful. And so goes life on this side of heaven.

The power grid restored my heat, but it was God who brought warmth. The weatherman knew what he could promise last week and he did. The news anchor couldn’t promise electricity, but she could promise hope.

LESSONS FROM THE GREAT THAW

I can promise God is speaking, guiding, and directing the path of those who trust in him. I am like the weatherman who can make promises that depend on the truth of God’s creation and character, found in the truth of God’s word. It would have been wrong for those in the news to promise our heat would return quickly. That depended on people being able to fix the problems.

What can we learn about God through what we have experienced?

We should never underestimate the power of warmth. For many years, we have been making strong arguments by using strong language to share God’s truth. We have been trying to present a powerful, united front to the world and hope our politics would legislate morality. We have been trying to build bigger and better churches, thinking that such an effort would attract people to God.

But, the end result is a power grid that failed. Our ideas and best-laid plans might provide a momentary fix, but it isn’t God’s solution. Our culture needs warmth because our culture needs disciples. People aren’t left in the cold when they are led to the Son.

We are like the weatherman. We can’t create God’s answers; we only report his hope. We have to be careful not to promise for this life what God has not promised.

JESUS PROMISED

Jesus promised tribulation. Jesus promised his peace. Jesus promised we could live with hope. Jesus promised our hope would one day be our reward.

Until then, we are to accept the storms, endure the cold, and wait for the warmth. It always returns. Mostly, we are to use our lives to lead as many people to the Son as we possibly can.

One last “report” from a “weatherman”: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

Don’t just read that verse today; hear Jesus speak his promise to you.

God speaks to servants who listen.

Allow God’s truth to warm your soul until your hope becomes his reward.

The pursuit of peace

The best conclusion to a good argument is arriving at a place of understanding, knowing how each person involved is somewhat right and somehow wrong.

Our country is probably better off than any of us think, but, right now, it just seems like a mess. It’s the truth that will bring about permanent change, but the truth is that every side is partly right and partly wrong.

Until all are able to speak honestly and rationally about facts, the problems will continue.

Conflict is a normal part of life

The good news is that, throughout our history, some of the best adjustments in our thinking have taken place after arguments.

God already has a plan to redeem the hurt, for a greater good, if we will be called to his good purpose. (Romans 8:28).

So what is God’s purpose?

Romans 14:19 says, “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

I often teach that one of the most important words of a verse is the verb. Romans 14:19 teaches that we are to pursue those things that bring about peace and the mutual good of everyone.

I expect that our country will heal—if we can recognize that everyone involved is somewhat right and somehow wrong.

If we pursue those things that bring peace and mutual upbuilding, we can arrive at a place of change that will be based on truth. Truth will likely humble and help everyone involved.

Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).

What is the truth?

In that same passage, Jesus tells us why complete truth evades most of us at times. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34).

Every human being is enslaved by, or controlled by, our sin natures. Our salvation gifted us with the indwelling of Christ, through his Holy Spirit. We are able to be filled with, or controlled by, his Spirit, but that is a free-will choice.

We live in a culture that was quick to believe Oprah when she used the phrase “personal truth.” In other words, truth can be what seems right, or feels right, personally.

It will just take a minute to think about those words and realize that “personal truth” is just another way of saying “personal opinion.”

Truth isn’t based on what seems true or feels true to a person. Truth is not personal because it transcends opinions.

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

That’s why Jesus could tell those disciples, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Our daily choices are because we are enslaved to the Holy Spirit of Christ or because we are enslaved to our human nature in the moment. None of us is completely free, yet.

As Christians, we are completely saved, but we don’t enjoy the full benefits of our salvation until heaven.

Choose truth; choose freedom

I hope that when tempers calm, truth will be spoken by people who realize its high value. Everyone is right and everyone is wrong—because everyone is an imperfect human being.

We are free to speak, but if we are enslaved to Christ, we are not to speak freely. If we are enslaved to Christ, we allow him to speak his words of truth, peace, and mutual upbuilding through us.

God’s word has been changing people’s lives since the beginning of time. The freedom we all need is the freedom to live enslaved by God’s thoughts, which are the truths, spoken by his Holy Spirit, in agreement with Scripture.

Why do people still suffer?

One of my life verses is from the book of Hosea. God spoke to the prophet Hosea during one of the darkest times in human and church history. I’ve often said that God’s words to Hosea have been the reason I keep teaching and writing.

God told Hosea, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).

People are being destroyed by opinions because they have rejected the knowledge of God. Jesus is their Messiah. He is the way, the truth, and the eternal life they need. And there is suffering in our world because they have forgotten the God who created and redeemed it through his Son.

People suffer now, and will suffer eternally, if we don’t help them know God through salvation in Christ.

The thought that prompts

If you are like me, words fail. I don’t know how to speak my thoughts well. I don’t know who to speak them to. I don’t know if I should speak at all.

But the thought that prompts me today is the knowledge that I know the One who will always speak the truth—and the truth will set us all free from sinful thoughts, words, and actions. His word is truth and is therefore the solution to our struggles.

People suffer when they lack knowledge of God’s truth. May the Lord help all of us quiet our opinions so Jesus can speak his truth through us.

Let’s take time to pray Samuel’s prayer, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9). God speaks to servants who take time to listen.

Maybe our words need to fail right now so we will take the time to listen for his words.

It’s his truth that matters and his truth that will help.

Let’s live consistently aware that we have a high calling. We are to be enslaved to God for his good purpose.

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

Let’s be servants who listen.

‘For Such a Time as This’

This week, my husband and I celebrated our thirty-ninth anniversary. Next year, for the fortieth, there will be balloons!

I’m not going to tell you how we “gifted” one another this year, but it screams, “Gosh, you guys are getting OLD!”

The funny thing is, after thirty-nine years, we don’t need anything more. And we really wanted what we bought.

Curious?

I’m not telling!

Let’s just say we should be healthier for our fortieth next year because of it. It was the right gift for “such a time as this.”

I love Esther 4:14. That verse taught me that God puts us in situations, circumstances, and opportunities we didn’t plan for but are, nevertheless, our “appointments” with God.

Marrying Jim in 1980 was just that: God’s appointment for our lives. I’m glad we kept that one.

Queen Esther said yes too

Queen Esther was encouraged by her uncle to approach the king and beg him to spare the lives of the Jewish captives.

Her uncle said, “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

Esther was not the person people would have nominated to save a nation, but she was the person God chose to use.

Why did Esther save her people?

She sacrificed her own plans and kept God’s appointment instead.

Is that the theme of your favorite Bible story as well?

Keep God’s appointments

Abraham packed up his family and left the only home he had ever known. He didn’t know where he was going, but he knew the One who had told him to go.
David could have made himself king much earlier but waited in exile until God said it was time.
Peter left his lucrative fishing business under the administration of others in order to follow Jesus.
Paul was on the Pharisees’ ladder of success when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.

There are also stories of people who didn’t keep God’s appointment:

Moses brought the people to the edge of the Promised Land, but fear and listening to the wrong advice kept him from making it his home.
The rich young ruler chose to keep his “stuff” instead of his appointment with God.
Countless Jewish religious leaders chose to teach their ideas about the Messiah but didn’t follow him when they had the chance. In fact, most wanted him to die. Instead of keeping their appointment with God, they created their Messiah’s appointment with a cross.

One of the central themes of Scripture is worth noting: God sets appointments for people.

Those appointments are our greatest opportunities to obey God, fulfill his plans, and earn his favor and blessings. Those opportunities will provide fulfillment and joy for our earthly lives.

But, we have to choose to keep our appointments.

Choose whom you will serve

Jim and I both had other “options,” but thankfully we chose one another.

Jim could have chosen someone who loved touring every church and every museum on vacation. Jim could have chosen someone who loved reading every word of every display in those places.

He didn’t.

I could have chosen someone who loved to dance or loved the beach. I could have chosen someone who enjoyed parties and movies with a plot instead of aliens and explosions.

I didn’t.

Instead, we both chose to keep the appointment God arranged. We chose each other and, as “iron sharpens iron,” we are blessed as a result.

We have been able to serve God together, and we have helped each other recognize and keep other “God appointments” as well. (Unless those appointments were at a random museum . . . . I might have kept Jim from a few of those.)

Listen for God’s appointments

None of us ever would have heard of Queen Esther if she had said no to her appointment with God.

She had a choice and she made it. She chose to be brave. She chose to change her plans. She chose to risk everything in order to keep God’s appointment. She chose well!

Another of my favorite Bible verses says, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).

This life is a journey, but none of us walks it alone. God is there and he speaks. Through his Holy Spirit, we can recognize the many appointments he wants us to keep. They will be different than what you have planned. They will probably interrupt whatever you wanted to do. They might even require you to make a sacrifice.

But, if the voice behind you, or within you, says, “This is the way, walk in it,” choose to go. God wants to guide you through your most important decisions.

I’m grateful that when I considered marriage, I asked God for his direction. That choice made all the difference.

God’s forgiveness is available when we don’t ask. God’s favor is promised when we choose to obey his voice. Desire his favor instead of depending on his forgiveness and your life will be blessed now and eternally.

Are you reading these words “for such a time as this?”