Monday, January 1, 2018

Communication With God


Pastor Anita Clark

Grace Chapel, Carbondale, Kansas



We have a God Who speaks to us. He is not voiceless. Gen. 1:3 says, “And God said, “Let there be light and there was light.” He spoke the world into existence. II Cor. 4:6 says, “God Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts...” About 58 times or more in the Old Testament it is recorded that “God said.” There is power in His spoken word. When He spoke, things began to happen.

In contrast, Habakkuk 2:18 says, “What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? Woe to him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold, silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.” “Dumb” means speechless. Our God is not speechless, but from the beginning has been speaking to mankind.

How futile to trust in an idol to hear our prayers and to perform anything that will help us, but our God not only hears us when we cry to Him, but answers our cries with His voice. Many times in the Word, He spoke out loud to make Himself known. In the past God has spoken in many different ways, sometimes directly, or using angels to speak, speaking to man in dreams, using His written Word, or using His prophets and ministers to speak to us.

In the Old Testament times He spoke directly to Adam and Eve, Noah and Abraham and Jacob and others. Then He began to speak through His prophets. They spoke with power and proclaimed, “Thus saith the Lord....”

John 1:1-2 tells us Jesus is the Word, the Logos of God. God spoke through Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 1:1- 3, we read, “God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by the Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” He is the Word of God. He speaks to us in person, through the written Word, and the spoken Word through the Bible and through messengers of God bringing the Word. Do you want to hear God speak to you? Give your thoughts and ears to the Lord. Seek Him and ask Him to speak to you. He will.

Why do we not hear God’s voice? Maybe we’re too occupied with the world, not giving time to Him. Relationships in the natural have to be nurtured. It is the same with God. James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands (wash in the water of the Word, your hands or your service -Eph 5:26), ye sinners, and purify (sanctify- dedicate as holy to the Lord) your hearts (minds, thoughts and feelings), ye double minded (two spirited, two natures, vacillating in opinion or purpose).”

In New Mexico there are gigantic radio telescopes pointing to heaven listening for intergalactic noise makers such as blackholes or pulsars. They say, “We are not particularly listening for someone from another planet to say hello, but if someone does do that they would be picked up quickly.” What a surprise they would have if God, the Creator decided to speak to them over their receivers. Yet, He has spoken to us. How profound is that?

Remember little Samuel, living in the tabernacle with Eli the high priest. Read about him in I Samuel 1:20. In chapter 3 God wanted to talk to Samuel. He spoke to Samuel in the night.

This little boy did not know it was God, but after Samuel heard the voice of God calling several times, Eli the priest told him to answer God saying, “Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.” God then told Samuel very important things which would come to pass. I love this story because I know that God can and does speak to many children about His ways. My own experience with the Lord at age 12 years old, was that I needed comfort from the Lord over my parents divorcing. As I cried out to the Lord, He spoke to my heart, “All things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). I had heard this verse before, but was not really familiar with it, but it became my firm staying point for the rest of my life.

God also got Apostle Paul’s attention on the road to Damascus as he was going down there to persecute the Christians (Acts 9). When God spoke to Him, He got his attention by shining a very bright light, which caused Paul to fall to the ground, and he heard a voice saying, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” How grateful we are that God spoke to Paul and brought him to conversion. After this Paul heard God’s voice often and received great revelations of God and the truth God wanted to be made known to the church. How we praise God for Paul hearing God’s voice and the revelation he received.

The word “hearken” is used many times in the Bible and means “to hear intelligently, with implication of obedience.” Sometimes the word “hearken” is another word which means “to broaden the ear (with the hand) by implication to listen. In the New Testament it has the meaning, “to understand and be obedient to.” How many times have you heard the voice of God speak to you? Did you hearken to that voice? Are there actions of obedience manifest in your life to what God is saying? The way of victory and peace is to listen to the voice of the Lord.