Meditation: His Presence, His Voice

One day I left my cell phone in a friend’s office. When my daughter sent a text message soon after, my friend thought it would be fun to respond to the text and pretend to be me. After an exchange of just two messages my daughter texted back, “Who is this really?”

She knew my voice. Even though she was apart from me and limited to the shorthand of text messaging, she was not fooled by an impostor.

One sure sign that we are becoming followers of Jesus is our ability to distinguish his voice from others. Jesus said simply, “My sheep know my voice.” Yet one hallmark among Christians in our day is anxiety regarding God’s direction and guidance. How can there be so many believers who struggle to hear his voice?

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Christmas: God's Tutorial on Hearing His Voice

Monday’s Meditation suggested that although elementary students have no classes at Christmastime, school is in session for followers of Jesus. The Christmas narratives are not merely traditional words, they are divinely inspired for our benefit. For example, the Christmas story provides a tutorial on how God speaks to his people. 

In the opening of Matthew and Luke’s gospels the God of the heavens pulls out all the stops on the heavenly pipe organ and announces his kind intention by nearly every means possible. If the subject is “how to hear God’s voice,” get out your highlighters and take note of the many ways he speaks. I count at least nine:

God speaks through angels: Angels spoke to Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and the shepherds. Our very word angel comes from the Greek, ángelos, meaning messenger. While the birth of Jesus was certainly unique in history, God’s use of angels is anything but unique--they exist carry his messages and do his work. Are you open to the possibility of of angelic visitation today? (see Hebrews 13:2)

God speaks through dreams: God spoke to Joseph almost exclusively through dreams. What’s more, Joseph took these dreams seriously and made life-altering choices based on them. Would you marry a woman or move to a foreign country based on your dreams? Joseph did! In fact, we are in the habit of referring to "our dreams," but what if they are God’s?

God speaks through nature: Three pagan wise men were among those who bowed in worship before the infant Jesus. They were literally moved to action because of what they observed in nature. Who would pack up their treasures and travel over deserts based on the sights in the sky? People who heard the voice of God, that’s who.

God speaks through the scripture: Matthew takes great care to point out the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in his nativity story. The stars may have guided the wise men to Israel, but the words of the prophet Micah gave them the final steps to take. Even Mary’s spontaneous song of praise in Luke chapter two is based upon words recorded in the Old Testament nearly a thousand years before. In our day many people study the Bible, but how many hear his voice in it?

God speaks through worship: When Zechariah encountered the angel Gabriel, he was fulfilling the office of priest by burning incense in the temple. That’s worship! So is the song sung by the “heavenly host” that night to the shepherds in the hillsides of Bethlehem. Included in the Christmas story is the revelation that worship is a two-way street: We offer praise and thanksgiving, and he speaks to us. When’s the last time you heard the voice of God in worship?

God speaks through governments: The opening words of Luke’s second chapter mention the decree by Caesar August that all the world be taxed. Grumbling taxpayers everywhere did not hear anything other than the greed of Rome, but behind the mechanics of politics and taxation God was moving people from one city to the next in order to set his plan in motion. So the next time you read about a new tax, be sure to listen for God’s voice!

God speaks through the Holy Spirit: Two “nobodies” named Simeon and Anna received a most unusual invitation to celebrate the birth of King Jesus--they had a hunch. Except in this case it wasn’t actually a hunch, it was the voice of the Holy Spirit. Luke’s account makes clear that these two obscure temple-dwellers heard the still small voice of the Spirit, down the to time and place where the young parents of Jesus would come to the Temple to dedicate the baby Jesus. What if our lives--even specific days--could be guided like that? Scripture reveals they can.

God speaks through prophetic utterance: When Zechariah opened his mouth after nine months of silence, he prophesied! When Mary met Elizabeth the courtyard of a simple house became the gathering of saints, and both women spoke the words of God. The Christmas narrative is telling us that when God is at work, God’s people will speak inspired words of life. That should change the way we listen to one another, don’t you think?

And still one more: God speaks through Jesus: The Christ Child is the Word become flesh. John’s prologue reveals the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The opening of the book of Hebrews reveals that although God speaks in many times and in many ways, his ultimate word to us is a person: Jesus. The angels told the shepherds, “This shall be a sign for you: you will find a baby . . .” All of God’s words are contained in him. They were then. They are still.

So while we endure well-meaning Christmas carols and relentless cheerful music in retail stores, the question remains: will you hear God speak?

Monday's Meditation: Watering the Soil of Our Hearts

Just because we have heard something before doesn’t mean we should pass it by. Watchman Nee observed that patience in the face of the familiar is a sign of spiritual maturity. I need to ask your patience as I revisit and revise a post from April of last year, because it’s on my mind again:

“The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." Mark 4: 14 – 20

Let me tell you about the first time I ever heard this parable. The night after I became a follower of Jesus a speaker used this parable to challenge us to put our roots deep into this new life. I just naturally assumed I was the good soil. How could I be anything else? Sitting next to me that night was a friend from high school who had also just turned to Jesus. After the message she wept and wept, and wept some more. Finally she composed herself enough to sob, “I just don’t want to let Jesus down. I’m afraid I might turn out to be one of those other types of soil.” I had assumed that I was the kind of person who was naturally good and would bear fruit, while she was moved to tears, crying and asking for the grace to live up her calling. At that moment I realized after just one day she was already way beyond me in her walk with Jesus.

This isn’t just any parable--it’s foundational. Jesus asked his disciples, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?” (v 13) He cautioned his students that this parable was critical to receiving the Kingdom of God (v 11).

As a young Christian I thought Jesus was describing a fixed reality: too bad for those with hardened hearts, rocky soil, or lives full of weeds, I thought. Thank God I was the good soil! It never occurred to me that his words were a call for me to tend my own heart, or that he was describing a continual process of every time he speaks into our lives. Over the years I’ve discovered I’m never further away from the Kingdom than when I think his words are for someone else, but not for me.

This week I invite you to ask, What about me? Have I watered the spoil of my heart with tears that cry out for his continued grace in my life?

Everyone's Entitled to My Opinion: About Hearing God's Word

You make your way down the dusty street. It’s late afternoon and the heat of the day is at its height--it will be good to finally sit down and rest. Your soul is tired, worn out, and thirsty as well. The home you enter smells of fresh bread, perspiration and dye--this last smell because the woman who lives there deals in cloth and fabric. She greets you at the door. Some of your family has already arrived so you take your place quickly. You don’t have to wait long. The leader of the small group carefully unwraps a papyrus sheet and begins to read out loud.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: grace and peace to you from God our Father . . .

The sound of the pastor’s voice gently works it’s way through the room and the words find deep passage into your ears. The sound of the words engage your mind, they vibrate into your spirit as well: you are hearing the word of God.

Since the very beginnings of the church most believers have received the scriptures by listening. How many of us listen to the word of God today?

Our common experience of sitting down and reading a Bible we hold in our hands is something relatively new. For centuries church services included reading from both the Old and New testaments because books were expensive and consequently rare. Believers trained themselves to attend to the word of God as it was spoken, to capture the words with their minds and digest them with their heart. And they did so together, in community.

I’d like to suggest that God designed us in such a way that we benefit by hearing the words of life. Does that seem strange to you? Imagine husbands and wives reading out loud together; friends gathered in a room with but one copy of the Bible--all of them receiving the spoken word. Imagine an assembly of people hungry to hear the voice of God.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with reading the Bible: I recommend it! But in my opinion we should find a way to let the word of God enter through our ears as well.

Monday's Meditation: Hearing His Voice

Following Jesus requires hearing his voice. We have the record of his life, death, and resurrection in the four gospels. We have the record of the early church and the record of letters to those churches, but we need more than the historical record. We need to hear his voice. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). These famous words offer an abundant life to those who hear his voice and follow him. The tenth chapter of John’s gospel contains an image of Jesus as the good shepherd. Three times Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice.” (vs 3, 4, & 16)

Here is a Monday meditation: do I know his voice? How does Jesus speak to me, personally?

The scriptures provide revelation and direction to all believers. The words of the Bible are true and sure. But how do I hear his voice to me, personally? If Jesus wants to lead me to a safe place where I can experience the fullness he has planned for me, how do I know where to go and what to do? It’s true that the scripture can provide insight and guidelines: how to avoid sin and enter into joyful gratitude, but how will I know specifically where to go, and when? The answer lies in our ability to personally hear his voice today, and each day.

It’s Monday. When the craziness of the business day begins to settle into the routine of a new week, here are some questions to consider:

• Do I really know his voice?
• Apart from the Bible, how does Jesus speak to me?
• How are his voice and the promise of abundant life connected?

My prayer is that you will find a quiet place to listen.

Monday's Meditation: Are you sure you want to know his will?

Here’s an easy topic for a Monday: how can you know for sure if you’ve heard the voice of God? As followers of Jesus we want to follow his directions—go where he wants us to go, and do want he wants us to do. Understanding his direction in our life is a sign of a mature disciple.

I was hanging out with a few friends this morning and we began to discuss the challenges of such worn out phrases like, “hearing God,” or, “moving in faith.” Sometimes God is abundantly clear. Both through the scriptures and the circumstances of life certain aspects of God’s will are very clear. Some are clear every day. It’s God’s will that I should be thankful and praise-filled. It’s God’s will that I should be of a humble, kind and generous heart. It’s God’s will that I should hunger and thirst after him and his kingdom. (NOTE: this is not a throwaway list. The seven things just mentioned are enough for a lifetime!)

There are challenges, however, decisions that involve choosing one thing and not choosing another: What employment does he have for me? Whom should I marry? Should we try to conceive a child? What color outfit should I wear today? From the everyday to the life-changing, we all recognize that some choices involve embracing one direction and choosing to walk away from another path. Both paths could even be “good.” But we must choose.

A second challenge: what about when life makes choices for us? What happens when circumstances and events wash over us like sea waves? Is God the author of every circumstance? Is the Adversary reaching out his hand to steal, kill or destroy? This, too, involves hearing from God. Do I stand against the tide or go with the flow?

Recently a friend of mine faced a decision that would involve a one-year commitment. “How will I know it’s God?” he asked. I suggested he enjoy the ride, and that he would know whether God was “in it” after the year was over. What--is that an unsatisfying answer? Try this one on for size: in the book of Genesis a teenager named Joseph suffered injustice and betrayal at the hands of some of his own bothers. Yet years later (perhaps 15 – 20 years later!) Joseph could say, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

Are willing to walk with him day-to-day, moment-by-moment? Sure! But sometimes (just sometimes) we must we willing to wait years to figure out his purposes in our lives.