God Speaks

Wouldn't it be cool if every time you needed to hear something from God, an audible voice would boom out of heaven and tell you everything you needed to know? Wouldn't it be cool if in our moments of frustration or even our moments of celebration we could hear with our ears the voice of God directing us and talking to us and letting us know His thoughts on the matters at hand? Wouldn't it be cool if the voice of God was clear and loud and there was never any question about His will or His plan or His thinking on the things that we are facing in life? While many times we would love to hear with our ears the voice of God, it is usually another part of our anatomy that needs to be in tune when God speaks. Our minds and our hearts need to be in alignment with the thinking of our Creator if we are ever going to truly acknowledge and follow His voice in those moments when He speaks.

Probably because of our humanity, we think of God's ability to speak to us based on the way that we speak to others. Obviously our most important mechanism of speech comes from our mouth. Our vocal chords all harmonize together to produce a sound that crosses our tongue and our lips and we form words to say what we are thinking. Another important mechanism of speech is our face - facial expressions convey mood and demeanor and many times the true intention of the words that are flowing from the mouth. Finally body language is keenly important in comprehending speech between two parties - some people aren't as good at reading body language but it speaks volumes when observed. Ironically enough, it is humanities ability to communicate that sometimes hinders our ability to hear the voice of God but that does not change the fact that God still speaks.

God is a spirit - and from my abilities of observation I have yet to see the face, body or mouth of a spirit. And for most what we can't observe with our eyes, we have a hard time comprehending with our heart. And yet God still speaks. It may not be what you are used to. It may not be the way you thought it would be. It may not occur in the format or fashion that you prescribed it and it may not fit in the box that you created for it BUT the voice of God will still speak into your life if you have a heart to listen.

Throughout scripture there are numerous occurrences of the phrase, "He that hath an hear to hear, let him hear. . ." As a kid, I used to think, "Well that's kind of a silly statement. There can't be that many deaf people in the world - everybody should have an ear that can hear." In my naivete, I missed the point that it's not really about having ears that hear, but it's really about having a heart that is listening. My daughter, Abigail, who is an amazing young lady, absolutely beautiful, is quite a talker. There are times, being the horrible father that I am :-), that I tune her out. It doesn't mean I'm suddenly deaf, it just means I'm not listening. Sometimes I fear that we do the same to God.

God speaks in so many ways. The vastness of the volumes of the words that He has spoken would leave us staggering under its weight. Everyday He speaks. Whether it's through the birth of a new child, or the death of a loved one, He speaks. Whether it's the waves that crash on the sea shore or the wind that moves the leaves on the trees, He speaks. Through sunrises and sunsets, He speaks. Through little reminders that He's thinking of you OR major moments of the miraculous, He speaks. Whether through great men of God OR stubborn eye-opened donkeys, He speaks. It's not a matter of whether He's talking or not - the question is, ARE YOU LISTENING? Really Listening?

There have been recent moments in my life when I've felt like Job, when it seemed that everything that could go wrong did. And like Job, I threw myself pity parties and screamed at the heavens and griped at God because of the depth of my tribulation. And like Job, I've had my moments where God finally had enough and spoke back and asked me who exactly I thought I was. (Read the book of Job and look for the part where God says, "Well Job - Where were you. . .?" Beginning at about Job 38) Now unlike Job, I haven't heard the voice of God - but I've been reminded of His greatness so many times. I've been reminded that He knows the path that I take and that He'll never leave me or forsake me and that in the time of trouble He will hide me and that when my enemies would come in like a flood, that He would raise up a standard against them and that when I fall, I shall arise, not by my own power or strength but rather by His ability to lift me up and to set my feet and establish my goings. The Word of God is filled with monumental, life changing, words directly from the heart of God and if you have the heart to hear, if you are really willing to listen, everyday in countless ways, He is screaming of His love toward you!

May God bless - love you all - until next time, keep listening, because He's speaking! - RP