Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash
The short answer is, of course, he is.
He promised in his word,
“God, your God, is above all a compassionate God. In the end he will not abandon you, he won’t bring you to ruin, he won’t forget the covenant with your ancestors which he swore to them.”
Deuteronomy 4:31 The Message
“Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you.”
Hebrews 13:5 The Message
However, that isn’t my issue (not that I am suggesting I have a problem with God—I do, at times, but this isn’t one of them).
The brief backstory
- I have been challenged by God to surrender
- I have encountered several obstacles
- I have asked the Lord to show me how to believe and not doubt
I am in the eighth month of this journey and invite you to follow along.
A scene from a television show caught my attention. You can read about the details here.
It led me to a portion of my life verse in the Old Testament book of Proverbs.
“Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”
Proverbs 3:6 The Message
Another translation says it this way:
“Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.”
Proverbs 3:6 The New Living Translation
A previous post will give you more insight.
Lord, will you show me your way?
These two translations paint two distinct pictures that I believe will be helpful.
“Listen for God’s voice in everything you do.”
The act of listening is a proactive process.
It means you are paying careful attention to the spoken word so you can fully grasp what is being said.
However, it represents a challenge in moden culture.
For example,
Are you listening to understand, or to respond?
One will bring peace and comfort, while the other tends to bring strife and contension.
We see a lot of the latter in our world, which is leading to a lot of pain and suffering.
(That’s a story for another time.)
The question to ask in this post is, am I listening to understand, or am I listening to respond?
If I am listening to respond, it means I have an opinion, and anything contrary to that causes me to defend my position.
The Old Testament story of Jonah is a classic example.
God told Jonah to speak to a brutal people to repent.
Jonah refused and tried to flee.
Three days in a fish belly changed (temporarily) his mind.
He went, told them to repent, and they listened.
This angered Jonah because he knew God would forgive them—and he did.
“Jonah was furious. He lost his temper.
He yelled at God, “God! I knew it – when I was back home, I knew this was going to happen! That’s why I ran off to Tarshish! I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!
“So, God, if you won’t kill them, kill me! I’m better off dead!”
God said, “What do you have to be angry about?”
But Jonah just left. He went out of the city to the east and sat down in a sulk. He put together a makeshift shelter of leafy branches and sat there in the shade to see what would happen to the city.”
Jonah 4: 1-5 The Message
This is listening to respond, and it doesn’t get you very far with God.
On the other hand, listening to understand gets you into the presence of God.
The challenge here is being patient (with God, and yourself) while he answers.
The 12 disciples are examples of this kind of listening.
They walked and talked with Jesus for three years, and heard some things, and missed others.
Jesus would go over stories he told to the crowds, breaking them down for them, and still, some got parts of it, while others didn’t.
This is a lesson for God the Holy Spirit, but not in this post.
I love the Apostle Peter. I have come to call him “stick your foot in your mouth, Peter, because of the number of times he spoke before thinking.
One example is on (what has been called) the mount of transfiguration when Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah.
“Peter interrupted, “Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials – one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.”
He blurted this out without thinking, stunned as they all were by what they were seeing.”
Mark 9:5-6 The Message
On another occasion, Peter blurted out and nailed it.
“He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am.”
Matthew 16:15-17 The Message
The significance of this story is that Peter was listening with spiritual ears.
I imagine the encounter happening this way.
Turning to his disciples, Jesus asks them, “And you, what do you say about me?”
Blurting out, Peter says, “You are the Christ.” In that instant, his ears are hearing what his mouth is saying as he continues with renewed enthusiasm, “The Son of the Living God.”
In other words, Peter was not cognitively aware of what he was listening to. However, his spirit man was taking in every syllable.
Peter was listening, and not aware that the Lord was there speaking to him, to his inner man.
This is the picture Proberbs 3:6 from The Message paints for me.
This is the listening I am referring to.
I know the Lord is near, but I am not aware he is speaking to me, until he reveals a revelation.
I will lay out the picture the second translation paints next time.
The call of the Spirit is going out across the land for light bearers and (wisdom-speaking) truth givers to bring the words of life to a lost and dying world—one person at a time.
The journey is exciting and scary, and I am thankful for everyone willing to follow along as I take it.