God Speaks
Weekly Overview:
You and I have been given the invaluable gift of communication with God. Last week we learned about the process of making the soil of our hearts soft and receptive to God. This week we’ll learn some different ways to receive the seed of his word. May your communion with God flourish as you engage in continual conversation with your loving, present heavenly Father.
Scripture:“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3
Devotional:
For too much of my Christian life I believed God didn’t like to talk. My experience led me to think that God only spoke a few times in history and only to people like Moses, David or Paul, but never to a person like me. Then one day God spoke to me. I asked him a question out of desperation and he spoke. The Creator of the universe broke through the walls of my misconceptions and spoke to my heart in a voice so clear it couldn’t be mistaken.
After God spoke to me so clearly, I began to take time to listen. And in making space for God to speak, my life began to be transformed by consistent, internal conversation with my heavenly Father. You see, Scripture makes it clear that God loves to talk with his children. John 8:47 says, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God.” Jeremiah 33:3 says,“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Isaiah 55:3 says, “Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.” Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” The list of Scriptures goes on and on. In story after story the people of God hear God and know his will. The Bible is clear that God speaks to all of us as his children in a way we can understand through any and every means possible.
God speaks through all sorts of avenues. Most assuredly, he speaks to us through his Word. The Bible is one of our greatest gifts as Christians. It is the very word of God, “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). God also speaks directly to us through his Holy Spirit. John 16:13 says,“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” And Scripture reveals how God speaks through his creation. Romans 1:20 says that God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”
God loves to speak. He isn’t silent. He isn’t distant. He longs for you to live with the knowledge of his love and perfect will. The question isn’t whether God speaks. The question is, will you listen? Will you choose to submit yourself to him—to receive and obey what he would tell you? The first time God spoke directly to me he asked me to do something incredibly difficult. It didn’t make total sense. But I knew he spoke. And in submission I obeyed his command and my life has been different ever since.
Listen to God today. Quiet your soul and receive the gift of conversation with your heavenly Father. God has placed his Spirit within you—closer to you than you can fully comprehend. You are unified with God. Ask the Spirit to reveal to you God’s word today. Ask God to make you aware of any and every avenue he desires to speak through. Then listen with an obedient, receptive heart to all the wonderful things he longs to tell you.
Guided Prayer:
1. Take time to quiet your soul. Confess anything that you feel is in the way of your relationship with God. Hand over to him anything that’s troubling your mind. Receive his peace, and wait patiently for him to speak.
“Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.” Isaiah 55:3
2. Listen. Ask the Spirit how God feels about you. Ask him for his will and direction. Pay attention to any thoughts, inclinations or changes in your emotions that come from the Holy Spirit. Allow God to speak in any way he wants.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”Jeremiah 33:3
3. Now thank God for speaking. Worship him because he isn’t distant. Let the truth of his nearness transform your perspective and emotions today.
Listen to God throughout your day. Engage with him in consistent conversation. Practice listening to him in all circumstances. Ask for his help and understanding in anything that troubles you. The rest of this week we’ll be practicing hearing God through different ways he chooses to speak. May this week lead you into a deeper and more satisfying relationship with your heavenly Father as you engage with him in continual conversation.
Extended Reading: John 8
For more information on today's devotional click here!
For more information on today's devotional click here!