Greetings in the name of THE Risen Saviour – Jesus Christ! I trust that you enjoyed your weekend and Monday–and today is starting off with sunshine…a given day! This is a significant day in the Jewish calendar as the final preparations are being made for “Yom Kippur” which starts at sunset tonight until sunset Wednesday. Yom Kippur is a time of repentance as an individual reflects over the past year and begins a new year. Repentance is a two-step process where the individual turns away from ‘bad’ and turns toward ‘good’ – change of heart and change of action. Something to think about.
This morning, my devotional reading was about listening to God. John Stott, a well-known Christian teacher, said: “…since God speaks we must listen.” Most of us, I believe, equate God speaking to us with the discipline of daily Bible reading. So, the fair question is how do I turn what I see with my eyes into hearing with my ears. As my devotion taught, over the years there are at least four ways that God speaks’ through what I see.
First, I have learned and practice…reading the Bible out loud to myself, It is true that many times when reading aloud I have had a sense that what I heard was not simply my voice…but the voice of another speaking through my voice to my heart. Second, I value someone else reading Scripture aloud and many times I believe God’s voice blended into a human voice. I have now read through the Bible twice as I listened to it on “CD” as I travelled in the car. God, I believe, anoints the vocal chords of those who read Scripture to groups, gatherings, and congregations.
Third, I have heard God speak through vocal artists as they sang words of Scripture, often embedded in a song. Remember, the Apostle Paul instructed believers, as they came together, to sing…psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Fourth, God the great Creator speaks to us through His creation, which is only logical since in Genesis we are told that He “spoke” into being everything but man…although that is open to discussion So, His voice must be hidden in the beauty of what He created.
Since God “speaks” – how do you hear what He is saying? Are you listening right now? Something to consider…enjoy the day and listen!