When I read the Old testament, I'm always jealous of the way God spoke to the prophets. The Word will say "God told Moses" or "And the Lord spoke to Elijah". It never really says how God spoke to them, just that He did. I wonder if it was in an audible voice or a tiny whisper, was it just a feeling they had inside or simply a "knowing." Yet, however He spoke to them, they always knew and understood what He said.
Wouldn't you like that ability? How many times have you pleaded with God for an answer only to receive silence in return. What I wouldn't give for an Email from God laying out the plan for my life or at the very least the answer to one of my questions.
But the truth is, God does still speak to us. The problem is. We aren't listening.
The most amazing thing happened to me yesterday morning. Every morning I spend time reading the Bible. I usually read a couple of chapters in the Old Testament and then a couple of chapters in the New. Right now I'm going through Isaiah and Revelation. I was reading in Revelation about the 7-fold Spirit of God and it said "the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth" Rev 5:6. I remember reading this verse before and wondering, what is the sevenfold aspect of the Spirit? I know this is mentioned in other parts of the New Testament but it never describes what these seven different characteristics of the Spirit are. I grew really curious so I asked God. "What does this mean? I want to understand it." Then I sat quietly, and I "heard" a voice say "You just read about that in Isaiah" Now when I say I heard, I don't mean in an audible voice but one that I heard inside me. Does that make sense? That's all the voice said, so I flipped back to Isaiah. Now, I'm the kind of person who doesn't usually remember details of what I've read, especially if it was a few days ago. But, I went back several chapters in Isaiah and scanned the text and there it was!
"And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might. The Spirit of knowledge and the Fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord." Isaiah 11:2-3
I was astounded. I would have never thought to look in Isaiah. I fell on my knees, so thankful to hear from God, so humbled that He cared to answer one of my questions.
From this experience, I believe there are 2 keys to hearing from God
1. You must be truly following Him, truly submissive to Him
2. You must be quiet.
How many times do we rattle off our string of requests during prayer time, then say Amen and get up and leave. I do that all the time! How many of your friends would put up with that for long? Yet God does day after day. Why don't we give Him a chance to share with us? Be quiet. If you don't hear anything, start reading the Bible asking Him to show you something. If you still don't hear anything, don't give up. Try again each day. And believe that He will speak to you somehow. He's your Father and He loves you. Why wouldn't He want to speak to you. I don't know about you, but I'm sure going to try this new approach to prayer.
Be still and know that I am God.
Thanks for that Mary Lu.That was wonderful.
ReplyDeletei know what you mean...but that is so cool! i sometimes hear that little voice in the back of my mind too, and it is so awesome when you realize Who that really is! great post, mrs. tyndall!!
ReplyDeletep.s. i remember reading that in Revelation...my youth group is going through that chapter and i am loving it!
Perhaps you remember where in the O T,I believe it is concerning Elijia--I think of the words now and again--God was not in the wind-----but in the still small voice.
ReplyDeleteAs I am doing things around home,I often lay something down and then can not find it--I say to our God--'you know where everything in this universe is--please show me what I did with_____pretty soon He sends me after something else--and there will be the item I asked for.Perhaps He deals with me that way because He has given me the gift of deafness since I was 2 or 3 years old--I really don't know His reasons--I just think it is so neat.
Yes--I certainly do believe God talks to us without mistake!!!
Wow, thanks for sharing everyone! It still boggles my mind to think that the Creator of the Universe takes time out to talk to me! or like you said Ladee bugg, help you find something you lost. Truly we serve a wonderful God! Keep listening!
ReplyDeleteI've been saved ever since I was about 4, but a few years ago I realized that I wasn't as close to Him as some of my friends. So I started searching Him out. It was really rough going. I'd try to read my Bible and pray every day, but I just couldn't stay with it. I couldn't hear Him, couldn't feel Him in me. I guess I wasn't listening.
ReplyDeleteBut that all changed a little over a month ago. I'd just found your blog, and watched that Easter video. It hit me so hard about exactly how much God loves us. I decided to go back to the beginning of your blog to read what else you had to say. I read about halfway through your articles on heaven before my Dad said it was time to go see my horse. On the way there I was looking out the window, and God touched my heart. All His creation was so wonderful, He'd given us all this beauty amongst all the bad for us, to encourage us, to show us Him, and I'd just found Him. My heart was filled with joy and peace straight from Him for several days in an overflowing way before it started to ebb. Even now, telling you about this, I feel Him in me and am rejoicing in it.
I guess the point to all this, besides maybe being an encouragement to you, is to show that if you truly keep seeking God, you will find Him (Jer. 29:13; Matt. 7:7; Luke 11:9).
One more thing: since then, I feel Him speaking to me as I pray and read His Word (I think of them as His letters). For me, it's more a feeling of peace when I turn my mind in the direction He wants me to go, through something someone else says, or He'll bring a thought to my mind to show me something. Sorry this has been such a long comment :)
~Sasafras
Thank you Sasafras. It really makes my heart glad to know God has used some of my blog posts to draw you closer to Him! But you said it perfectly. If you keep seeking Him with all your heart, you will find Him!
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