Hearing God Constantly
Read It Aloud: And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life (Exodus 4:18-19).
Ponder it Prayerfully: The Lord guided Moses every step of the way. He had already told Moses that He was sending him to Pharaoh. But here, we see Him saying, yet again, “Go, return to Egypt.”
He spoke the same, step-by-step way to Elijah in the book of 1 Kings. He first told Elijah to turn eastward and hide by the brook Cherith (17:2). After a while, the brook dried, and the Lord told Elijah to go to Zarephath, where He had commanded a widow to feed him (17:8-9). As a final example for this case, in 18:1, we see the Lord saying again, “Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.”
Joseph also relied heavily on God’s guidance. When he heard that Mary was pregnant, he wanted to quietly “put her away” so that he did not embarrass or ashame her. However, the Lord interrupted his plans by sending an angel to tell him that this was of God (Matthew 1:19-25). Shortly after this, king Herod decided to put to death all children. Joseph and Mary, again instructed by the angel of the Lord, fled to Egypt. When Herod died, an angel again told Joseph to go back to Israel because it was now safe. Even after he got to Israel, he still relied on God’s guidance to stay in Nazareth (Matthew 2).
Be A Doer (James 1:22): It is important for us to understand that we must constantly hear God for every step of our journey with Him. King David always consulted the Lord before a war because He knew that the fact that God had once said “pursue the Philistines” did not necessarily mean He would say it again, and if He did, it did not mean He would give the same method of pursuit or warfare. Moses knew he was called but he had to wait for the right timing.
We may know that God has called and chosen us to a particular ministry or position, but this is no license to stop seeking Him about the issue. We must rely on Him continually for guidance on the why, where, when and how, as He chooses to reveal them to us (sometimes He chooses to withhold some information from us for His own divine purpose). Two things are crucial for us to move in our area of calling. The first is to ensure that we are called by God, and the second is to make sure it is the right time to move.
For us to hear from God, we must be listening and we must be able to recognize His voice. Be it still and small (1 Kings 19:12) or like the sound of many waters (eg Ezekiel 43:2, Revelation 1:15), His children will heed it and obey it as soon as He speaks.
Hide It In Your Heart (Psalm 119:11): My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand (John 10:27-28).
Pray It Personally: Father in heaven, many times I am tempted to run ‘ahead’ of You; in this busy life and the culture of today, it is easy to forget to slow down and hear from You before proceeding into anything. I ask today that You would help me to remember to seek Your guidance and to be humble enough to wait for it before I make any move, however simple or complicated it may appear to be. You make big things from nothingness, and you reduce complicated things to nothingness – that is why You are the God of gods and my praise belongs to You. Thank You for who You are and for who You make me to be, day by day, step by step, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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