I want us to learn about something that most of us are already proverbial with, i.e. Hearing from God. In our theme today we are going to handle the various sub-themes and these include; What is Hearing From God? And How Do I hear From God? When Do I Hear From God? With these three sub themes at my exposure, we can now look into details each of them.
Hearing from God simply means understanding the divine message or instruction. In the first place, it is very imperative to understand that God has limitless ways through which he can speak to man. The Bible says “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9. Just like we defined what hearing from God is; it therefore requires understanding for us to hear from God. We should understand that God always speaks to us but we don’t always hear from Him much as He speaks always Why? Because we don’t understand His ways. If God was speaking to us like the way fellow men do, then every man would hear from God. Many of us have understood the way our friends speak, the way our parents speak, spouses and so on. We have understood the tone they use and also the means. Likewise, we have got the task to understand the means and tone God uses to speak to us and it will become easy to hear from God. As we talk about Hearing From God we can’t leave out Calling Upon God. Every time you call on somebody you expect a response and that is exactly what God does You call on Him He hears you and answers back BUT do we always hear God’s response? No. Ask yourself why don’t I always hear from God much as I’m always praying and asking Him so many questions? When we interpret rightly the message God is speaking then we have heard from God. This can be through reading a verse from the Bible listening to a sermon by the servant of God, experiencing the inner peace, hearing the remah voice from God Himself and so many other limitless ways as we have mentioned. All these ways require understanding. And it is my prayer that you understand the way God speaks to you.
How do I hear from God? This is our second question and to me it is the most important question one can ask himself or herself. Before we answer this question it is important to know that God always speaks to us. The bible says in Job 33:14, “For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.” By this statement we are made aware that surely God speaks to man and we also understand that He does not only speak once but even when He speaks the second time yet we do not perceive it. Note that concerning every major issue in your life God will always say a word to you that you will not fault; equally the devil too wants to have a say in these issues. But how can we then differentiate between the two voices. John 10:3-4 Jesus says, “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”
You see Jesus says His sheep know is voice and because of the knowledge they have of His voice they can not follow the stranger’s. So from here again knowledge drives us to understanding. The dictionary defines the verb to know as, to have a practical understanding of…therefore once we reach at a point of understanding between the shepherd’s voice and a stranger’s then we can hear from God. So to hear from God we need to ask God for understanding so that when he speaks we are able to tell that it is from God himself. Divine understanding has nothing to do with your education and also experience absolutely nothing. This understanding springs right from God. Job 32:8, “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” Now we can see that it is only God who gives us understanding which understanding will help you to hear from God by knowing His voice from the stranger’s.
Let now look at ho does God speak to us Genesis 28:10-22. Looking at Jacob’s dream and vow. Setting out on the way to Haran, he was overtaken by night, and slept in the field. He then dreams A ladder or stair is seen reaching from earth to heaven, on which angels ascend and descend. This is a medium of communication between heaven and earth, by which messengers pass to and fro on errands of mercy. Heaven and earth have been separated by sin. But this ladder has re-established the contact. It is therefore a beautiful emblem of what mediates and reconciles John 1:51. “And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” It here serves to bring Jacob into communication with God, and teaches him the emphatic lesson that he is accepted through a mediator. “The Lord stood above it,” and Jacob, the object of his mercy, beneath. First. He reveals himself to the sleeper as “the Lord” Genesis 2:4, “the God of Abraham thy father, and of Isaac.” It is remarkable that Abraham is styled his father, that is, his actual grandfather, and covenant father. Second. He renews the promise of the land, of the seed, and of the blessing in that seed for the whole race of man. Westward, eastward, northward, and southward are they to break forth. This expression points to the world-wide universality of the kingdom of the seed of Abraham, when it shall become the fifth monarchy, that shall subdue all that went before, and endure forever. This transcends the destiny of the natural seed of Abraham. Third. He then promises to Jacob personally to be with him, protect him, and bring him back in safety. This is the third announcement of the seed that blesses to the third in the line of descent
Jacob awakes, and exclaims, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.” He knew his omnipresence; but he did not expect a special manifestation of the Lord in this place, far from the sanctuaries of his father. He is filled with solemn awe, when he finds himself in the house of God and at the gate of heaven. The pillar is the monument of the event. The pouring of oil upon it is an act of consecration to God who has there appeared to him Numbers 7:1
DAVID LAKUCH
1 comment:
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