Author: perfectpeace Page 9 of 13

“Be kind and helpful to one another,
tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding],
forgiving one another [readily and freely],
just as God in Christ also forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32, AMP

God’s love is compassionate.  God knows what we need when we need it.  I was away from home and missing my cat so when I entered the guest room, I had to smile to see this huge stuffed bear sitting next to the bed.  As I sat on the bed reading, I didn’t realize it was starting to tip over towards me.  The next thing I knew it was leaning against me as if to comfort me.  That made me smile and made my day!

Tenderhearted.  The word compassionate has many synonyms or words that mean the same thing.  Tenderhearted is one of them which is defined as having a kind and gentle spirit.  A person with a tender heart will quickly and freely be evident when they see a need that they can meet.  They are sensitive to the heart and emotions of other people and come alongside them gently so as not to cause them more hurt, but instead bring them the love and comfort of Jesus.

Caring and Concerned.  Compassionate people are ones who care about people and are concerned for their well-being.  They not only say they are concerned, but show it with their words and actions.  Jesus had compassion for all kinds of people—the sick, the disabled, those who were hungry, the outcasts of society, and the oppressed.  If He had compassion on people with those descriptors, surely He has compassion for you and I as well.  His compassion is unconditional and complete.  There was and is no end to His compassion for all of creation (including our pets).  His care and concern prompted Him to act—feeding, healing, comforting, encouraging, and lifting up the fallen.

Understanding.  Jesus understands us better than any other person can or ever will.  He knows things we humans don’t and can better assess our whole situation.  Some people say they understand, but really they don’t if they’ve never been in your shoes.  Others who have had similar situations in life do understand to a point.  But No One Understands Like Jesus…listen to this great old hymn that has always comforted me when I had moments when I felt like no one cared about me.

Sympathetic and Empathetic.  These two words are related and yet different, but with Jesus, they’re one and the same.  Sympathy has a pity aspect to it while empathy displays our understanding and compassion.  A quote on the internet best describes it:  “Empathy is our ability to understand how someone feels while sympathy is our relief in not having the same problems.”  Which do you lean more towards when you see or learn of another in trouble or in a tough situation?  I believe Jesus leaned more towards empathy.

Showing.  “To be compassionate is to feel deeply for another person as they experience the ups and downs associated with life. To be compassionate is to not just tell someone that you care, but also to show them that you care by being there before they even ask for it.” says Brenna Smith in a composition.  It’s easy to show someone we care when life is good and we’re on the same page, but what about when our friend goes down a path they should never be on or walks away and lets us clueless as to what happened.  Be there for them regardless what happens.

Forgiving.  We’ve talked about forgiveness in this Lent series, so just to remind us, in this verse forgiving freely and readily is part of being compassionate.  Without forgiveness, compassion doesn’t hold water, so to speak.  God forgave and still forgives us, and so we need to forgive others if we are going to be compassionate as He is.  How can one show compassion to someone they haven’t forgiven?  I’d like to see that!

What will you do?  Now that you have a slightly broader view of compassion, what will you do with it?  There are tons of individuals and groups of people in this world who need tenderhearted, caring, concerned, understanding, sympathy, empathy, and forgiving compassion demonstrated for them.  Take a few moments and think about how you could demonstrate compassion to those you come in contact with and even those you don’t know.  There are many organizations who deliver medical, physical, mental, and emotional care to those in need.  Could you go and help?  Or could you support one of these organizations? 

Are you compassionate?  Do you want people to be compassionate to you?  It works both ways.

Another characteristic of God’s love for us coming up in the next post.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, You are so compassionate and show me a great example to follow. Help me to be willing to step out and show that compassion to others.

• Week 1 –temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

“Because of the Lord’s great love
we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV

God’s love is merciful.  Mama rabbit was merciful to her baby bunnies.  She burrowed a hole through the ground and underneath a window well against our church’s basement.  She wanted to protect them from other animals that would prey on them because she loves them.

What is mercy?  One article I read calls it “God’s patience in action.”  I like that definition.  I think of patience as stillness, like being patient while waiting for your turn at the store or the doctor’s office.  But this definition indicates patience as an action.  God in His mercy gives us what we don’t deserve.

What does mercy look like?  God’s mercy is evident in salvation, forgiveness, protection, provision, warnings, conviction, discipline, calling, worship, transformation, and in so many other ways.  Remember, mercy shows up when we least deserve it. 

What do we deserve?  We are sinful people through and through.  Even the best of us is still sinful at times.  For me, it’s usually the things I think and sometimes let slip out—not horrible bad things, but thoughts that if certain people knew what I was thinking, they would be surprised.  I deserve God’s judgement and chastisement, but He is a loving, compassionate, and merciful God who listens to my heart and hears my confession when those thoughts come.

Is it too late?  It’s never too late to go to God as long as we have life and breath in us.  The writer of Lamentations tells us that we are not consumed.  When I think of being consumed, one picture is of a fire consuming everything in its path, gone, destroyed, blackened, never to come back to life again.  But there is another picture of being consumed.  Many people are consumed with worry, debt, and all kinds of temporal things that we were never meant to be consumed with.  Why not?  God’s love never fails.  He won’t fail us in our time of need.

Jeremiah, the writer of Lamentations, experienced God’s faithfulness firsthand.  God tells His people over and over again that if they don’t obey, punishment will follow.  But God also promises future restoration and blessing when we repent.  Jeremiah knew that his God would keep His promises because He is faithful.

When do we need mercy?  This verse was the favorite of a good friend of mine, and he’d quote it almost every time I saw him.  We need God’s mercy every single day, no exception.  Do you know the best part?  His mercy is not like yesterday’s stale bread.  It is new every morning!  There’s nothing like fresh homemade bread slathered with creamy butter and if you’re predisposed to sweet things, a little jelly or jam.  God’s mercy is like that, fresh and new every day.  He doesn’t remember what happened yesterday once it’s forgiven or that He already gave us mercy.  He gives us more mercy fresh from His stockpile in Heaven, and He doesn’t just give us a small scoop—He shovels it onto us!

He is faithful!  My absolute favorite hymn is Great is Thy Faithfulness and has been for many, many years!  God is faithful in so many ways.  Think today about how He has been faithful to you as you click on the link and listen to the hymn.  He has never abandoned me.   He loves me.  He forgives me.  He protects me.  He provides for me.  …just to name a few.  Can you say the same?  What would your list of ways God has been faithful to you look like?  Let a comment so we can rejoice together in God’s mercy and faithfulness.

Another new day.  I am so thankful to have a fresh new day every morning.  Sometimes when I go to bed at night I’m really tired or I’ve had a frustrating day or know I’m going to be busy the next day.  Arising to a fresh new day and remembering God’s new mercies for the day gives me strength to get up and get going to serve Him one more day.

In the next post we’ll talk about yet another characteristic of God’s love for us. 

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, You are so merciful to Your children and to me. I do not deserve Your love and mercy, but You give it freely. Thank You so much. I am so blessed.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:28-29, NIV

God’s love is gentle.  In the first part of an online version of Psychology Today, they list numerous ways that gentleness shows itself—more than I would have ever thought of on my own.  Take time to read the first part of the article for more thoughts, but I want to focus on the first one they give:  “Gentleness is seen in the handling of adversity with a calm, even-handedness.”  I believe that is the best example or description of God’s gentleness displayed for the world, especially in the Old Testament when He got exasperated with the Israelites more than once due to their lack of trust and their disobedience to Him. 

When do you need gentleness?  You might want to say all the time, but that wouldn’t be a true statement.  There are times that gentleness might not be the best thing for us.  When kids are in danger by running out into the path of a vehicle, you wouldn’t think of quietly saying now, Johnny, you shouldn’t do that.  You’d be shouting and running to grab Johnny and pull him out of the path of the vehicle.  God has to do that with us sometimes.  Gentleness is not always the best way of protecting and caring for us.

The verse above shows us when we need gentleness.  Jesus tells us to come to Him.  Who is to come?  All who are weary and burdened.  Who of us isn’t tired—from work, from play, from dealing with situations and people, from caring for others…?!  In this mixed up world, who isn’t burdened?  If not, we should be, but we don’t have to carry our burdens alone. 

I will give you rest.  Jesus tells us to come and He will give us rest.  Oh how I need rest some days more than others.  Being retired and home most of the time, I’m usually full of energy, but on those days when I am out running errands or helping someone else, I look forward to coming home, putting my feet up, and spending time with the Lord.  He gives not just the physical rest, but the emotional and spiritual rest from stress and cares of this world.  Do you need rest today?  Slow down, stop, and go to Jesus.  If you’re constantly on the go and never stop, you’re like a train that zooms on by but doesn’t stop at the station for people to get off.  Jesus wants us to get off at the station and meet with Him, but it won’t happen if we never stop long enough to do so.

When is a person gentle?  The first thing that comes to my mind is when a friend is sensitive and caring towards their friend who is hurting in some way.  It could be a physical pain, an emotional situation, stress, or loss of someone close to them.  At such times we all want someone who understands and isn’t going to belittle us or tell us things we don’t need to hear at that time (maybe later in a gentle spirit, but not in the midst of suffering or loss).  Jesus is definitely sensitive and caring.  In John 4 when Jesus spoke with the woman at the well, He did not berate her for her sin, but was sensitive and caring in His conversation with her.

A gentle person is calm and thinks rationally in the midst of life’s tragedies and day-to-day situations.  When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane, He was calm and did not fight them.  He knew what He had to do and stayed focus.

Strength.  Do you think of gentleness and strength being a pair, a matching set, or complimentary to each other?  They actually are all of that.  It takes emotional strength to be gentle in the midst of a volatile situation.  It also takes gentleness to be strong for another person who is experiencing heartbreak or physical pain. 

Isaiah 41:10 has become one of my favorite go-to verses:  “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  God gives us strength and helps us.  The picture of Him holding us up with His right hand displays gentleness to me.  When I am weak, He is strong with gentleness not force.

Peacefulness.  Since this blog is called Perfect Peace, I would be remiss to not mention the fact that gentleness and peacefulness go together as well.  They are both the opposite of violence and arguments.  Jesus lived a gentle, quiet, and peaceful life.  He didn’t cause problems.  It was others who caused problems for Him.

In the next post we’ll talk about another characteristic of God’s love for us. 

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, thank You for Your gentleness of strength. Some days I need that gentleness to flow through me both for myself and so I can be that for others.

• Week 1 –temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8, NASB

Do you ever feel like you’re not good enough?  Not for certain people in your life nor for yourself nor even for God for that matter?  Isaiah knew what that was like.  He knew he wasn’t perfect.  He knew he had sin in his life and he had to confess it.  He didn’t feel up to the task that God was calling him to perform.  He was afraid the people wouldn’t listen to him.  He didn’t feel worthy of the task God was putting before him.

Then Isaiah had a vision and saw the Lord and the angels high and lifted up.  Seeing this made him feel even more unworthy and not good enough.  He realized how sinful he was with no hope of measuring up to God’s holiness.  But then the Lord brought forgiveness and cleansing to Isaiah and he submitted to God.  That’s where today’s verse comes in.

Heard.  He heard the voice of the Lord speaking to him.

Message.  What was the message the Lord spoke to Isaiah?  The Lord needed someone to go and be a messenger to His people.  He asked what appears to be a rhetorical question:  Who will go for Us?  Who was “Us”?  Most likely the Trinity—God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Timing.  We don’t know how long it took Isaiah to respond, but the question and the answer are in the same verse, and I’ve always pictured it as an immediate response on Isaiah’s part.  He had the vision; then the Lord asked the question; and Isaiah was willing and anxious to go.

Level of commitment.  Most of us have a level of commitment in mind when we consent to a task.  We tell ourselves we will go so far and that’s it.  For some when things get tough, they quit.  Isaiah was not one of those.  No matter how difficult the task was that God was asking, he was willing to be God’s messenger.  He knew that God would meet his needs and he knew that he was powerless and not good enough to be worthy of God’s calling on his life on his own merit. 

Volunteer.  Isaiah didn’t hesitate to volunteer for the messenger position the Lord posted on the prayer board.  He said, “Here am I. Send me!”  Are you and I just as willing to raise our hand and volunteer?  It may be to help in children’s ministry, lead a missions trip, clean the building, visit sick and shut-ins, or folding the bulletins.  You may not be qualified for the task, but God qualifies the called.  If He has called you, He will provide what is needed to complete the task.  You never have to worry if you are enough.  With God, you are always enough because His strength will support you, and He is always enough.

Follow.  All we need to do is follow Him wherever He leads us.  He will never leave us nor forsake us.  He will be our strength, our encouragement, our guide.  He will provide for our needs.

Results.  Isaiah soon learned that the people would listen but their hearts would not change.  God’s patience with His rebellious people was about exhausted.  Isaiah must have wondered, why even bother?!  There’s always a few people who don’t follow the crowd, and so there were some people who did repent and change, though the majority did not at that time.  They were like some of us.  We have to get down to the last penny, the last straw, the last glimpse of hope before we turn to God and give our problems and lives to Him.

Waiting.  God is waiting with open arms to receive His children.  Become like a child and go running into His arms.

In the next post we’ll begin talking about God’s love for us.  We’ve already talked about love during Valentine’s Day week, but here we’ll talk more about what God’s love for us is like—its characteristics.  Stay tuned as we begin the fourth week of the season of Lent.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, as I listen for Your voice and respond, give me the desire, strength, and willingness to take the first step and then the next and the next as I follow where You are sending me.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

“And the Lord came, and stood,
and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel.
Then Samuel answered,
Speak; for thy servant heareth.”
I Samuel 3:10, KJV

I Samuel 3:1-10 is a familiar story about the time Samuel was being called by the Lord.  At first Samuel didn’t realize it was the Lord calling him.  He thought it was Eli so he went to see what he wanted, but Eli said he didn’t call him.  This happened three times.  Finally Eli realized the Lord must have been calling Samuel and told him to answer Speak, for thy servant heareth”.

Surroundings.  Take a look at the entire chapter of I Samuel 3.  What were the surroundings like for Samuel when he heard the voice?  Our surroundings have bearing (and influence) on what we are hearing.

• Temple.  Verse 3 tells us that Samuel was living and serving in the temple.  The temple (or church) is a good place where God is likely to speak to someone.
• Lamp.  Verse 3 also tells us that the Lamp of God lit the temple.  Jesus is the Light of the World so a lamp could be symbolic of God speaking to us, but be careful because Satan can make any light look like the Light to trick us.
• Bed.  Again in verse 3, we also learn that Samuel had laid down to sleep.  So there must have been a bed or a mat for him to sleep on.  God sometimes speaks through dreams while we’re sleeping or in stillness while we are lying down resting.
• Distance.  In verse 5 we see that Samuel ran to Eli, so there must have been a significant distance between the places they each slept.  Samuel thought he heard Eli calling to him and since Eli was very old and Samuel was there to serve, he ran to Eli to see what he needed.

Action.  The verse says the Lord came and stood.  Remember we talked about how standing precedes action and prepares us to be on the move.  The Lord was standing because He had an important message for Samuel and ultimately for Eli and his sons, and He wanted to make sure it was heard and carried out.  The Lord spoke to Samuel which is also action.

Sometimes siblings like to play tricks on each other and say mom (or dad) is calling you so they go find the parent and knew they’d been tricked when the parent said they didn’t call for them.  This was no trick for Samuel.  The Lord was really calling Samuel.

Repetition.  You know what they say about remembering a new name, right?  Repeating the name a couple of times will help you remember it.  The first time Samuel heard the voice, he thought it was Eli, so he went to him, but Eli told him he didn’t call him.  The second time Samuel heard the voice, he again thought it was Eli, but it wasn’t.  The third time Eli caught on that it was the Lord calling Samuel and told him to say Speak; for thy servant heareth.  Sometimes we don’t recognize God’s voice the first time or think it’s Him but we’re not sure.  So God is gracious and repeats Himself until we hear Him.

Acknowledge.  Once you hear God’s voice, you must decide if you’re going to acknowledge it.  Have you ever had this conversation?  The trash needs to go out.  A period of time goes by so you repeat it, The trash needs to go out.  Still no response.  So you say, Did you hear what I said?  The trash needs to go out.  The person you were talking to did not acknowledge what you said to them.  No doubt they heard you but didn’t chose to acknowledge it, listen to the statement, nor respond with the appropriate action.

When Samuel heard the voice, he responded immediately and went to Eli the three times, and then responded to the Lord.  When you hear God’s voice telling you to do something, will you acknowledge it and take appropriate action?  If you keep hearing the same voice telling you the same thing over and over, it’s likely God is trying to get your attention.  If you also hear it from other people and places, it could be a confirmation that the Lord is speaking to you.  Listen closely, confirm it against God’s Word, pray about it, and pay attention for further instructions.

Obedience.  The timing of obedience is different for different situations.  There are times when the act of obedience doesn’t have a specific time as long as it’s completed such as visiting a shut-in.  Other times it is time sensitive or even an urgent matter perhaps akin to a sickness or emergency situation.  Obedience could even include planning and preparation such as prior to going on a missions trip or changing jobs or moving.  So obedience may look a little different in each of those situations, but obedience is required nonetheless.

In the next post we’ll learn about Isaiah’s response to God.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, please give me a discerning ear to know for sure that it is You speaking to me so that I may respond to what I hear.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

“Look! I stand at the door and knock.
If you hear my voice and open the door,
I will come in,
and we will share a meal together as friends.”
Revelation 3:20, NLT

I don’t know about you, but I get excited when someone knocks or rings my doorbell!  That means someone has come to see me, and if they are family or friends, they are always welcome.  I love to visit, share a meal or a snack, play games, and just enjoy each other’s company.

Posture.  How is your posture?  When you’re sitting, do you slouch or sit up straight?  When standing, are your shoulders bent over with the weight of the world or are your shoulders squared back with confidence in the Lord?  In this verse Jesus is the one talking and He says He is standing.  When we’re sitting, if we want to take a step, we have to stand first which requires action.  Standing indicates that we are ready to move.  Jesus was ready to move, knocking, and ready to step through the door when it opened.

Action.  Jesus stands at the heart’s door and is ready to raise His hand to knock.  I have one friend who never rings the doorbell but always knocks, so I know by that simple action who it is at my door.  I had some relatives who never knocked nor rang the doorbell; they just walked right in.  They could do that because there was a doorknob and they had a key.

One day I noticed some salesmen canvassing my neighborhood and I wasn’t interested in what they had to sell.  So I locked my storm door and closed all the curtains so they couldn’t look in to see if anyone was home.  I’m glad I did because they knocked, but when I didn’t answer, they jiggled the door. 

Jesus can’t walk right in like my relatives nor force His way in like the salesmen were attempting to do.  Why?  Because for one, He’s a gentleman and doesn’t force anyone to do anything.  He wants our love and commitment willingly.  Second, there is no handle on the door to our heart.  It must be opened from the inside.

Response.  When a person hears Him knocking at their heart’s door, they must respond to let Him in just like we must open the door for a guest when our door is locked.  Just as I did not respond to the salesmen jiggling my door, many people do not respond to Jesus when He knocks or tries to get their attention.  He wants us to come to Him of our own accord.  We need to open the door wide and let Him into our heart so He can do His work in us.  If you shoo Him away, He will go away sad that you didn’t allow Him in.

Jesus doesn’t just knock at the door.  He also calls out to you by name.  He wants you to hear His voice so you’ll know it is Him.  Do you recognize it?

Invitation.  Jesus invites us to have a relationship with Him, but you need to RSVP to that invitation with your own invitation to come in.  When a guest comes to your door, do you invite them inside and keep them at the door, or do you invite them into the living room or the kitchen?  If you stand just inside the door and don’t move any further, it would be like saying, OK, you can come in, but only this far.  But if you invite them into your living area, you are saying, you’re welcome to make yourself at home here.  Let me put on some coffee and let’s talk and share.

Sharing.  Jesus tells us in this verse that when we invite Him in, we can share a meal together as friends.  It’s so much nicer to eat with someone than it is eating alone.  Even if I am the one cooking, it’s still fun to have someone eat with me and enjoy my service.  If I am invited to go out or to someone’s home, it’s even better because I can relax and enjoy the fellowship without the work.

Hearing.  It all starts with hearing the knock at the door.  If we ignore that knock we heard and the voice that calls out to us, and don’t respond by opening the door, we will not have the fellowship with the Lord that is so necessary for our spiritual lives.  Do you hear?  Are you listening?  Then have you responded?

In the next post we’ll learn what Samuel did when he heard a voice.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, when I hear Your voice, give me Your strength to be willing to answer Your call and do what You ask.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,
and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
Romans 10:17, NIV

Have you ever wondered how players in a baseball, hockey, or football game could hear the commands of their coach above the noise of the crowd?  I think they would know from training what they are to do in any given situation.  I also think they would have to train themselves to block out the “advice” of the crowd.  If the players listened to the crowd instead of what their coach said, they could make a wrong move.  We need to listen to our Head Coach, not the world.

Source.  When you look for a product or service and ask for referrals, you would consider the source.  If it came from a company or person who had a bad reputation, you probably wouldn’t pursue the object of that referral.  When we hear a voice, it is just as important to make sure that the voice is God’s and not of the world.  So how do we know whose voice we are hearing?

Trace it.  I used to have a ton of tangled cords behind my desk and it was hard to tell which one went to which device.  The only way to figure out which plug was to the printer was to trace it back from the device to the outlet.   We can do the same with voices we hear.  Look for the person who said it, the context, the sincerity, and the background.

Who said it?  Whether it was written, online, or someone actually spoke it, identify who said it.  Is it someone you know and trust?  Are they trustworthy?  Are they tuned in to God?  Where did they get their information or knowledge?  I am very careful when I go to the internet and search a question or explanation, especially when it is in relation to the Word of God.  Here’s a couple things I look at:

• The website itself—the title, who it belongs to, what kind of content is included on that website
• Who promotes the website and the author—Is it someone who is or could be a false teacher?
• Are they using the Word of God or some other source of information?  Are they quoting sources that are not true to the Bible?  Or worse yet, taking it out of context.

How and where did you hear it?  Faith comes from hearing.  Hearing what?  The message.  Message of what?  The Word of God.  It doesn’t say faith comes from hearing and stop there.  What you are hearing is just as important as the fact that you are hearing it.  Analyze what you are hearing.

Ways of hearing.  You might think, only ears hear, so how can there be different ways of hearing?  If you are deaf, you “hear” through your eyes and other senses.  I took a little American Sign Language so I could communicate with those who are deaf.  (Unfortunately it was a long time ago and I’ve forgotten most of it.)  Hearing is a way of communication that travels from voice to ear.  When the ear doesn’t work, signing is an alternative way of communicating that goes from hands to eyes.  Braille is also a hands to eyes alternative communication. 

Aside from hearing with an ear, our eyes are a good way of “hearing” as we read and hear (see) what someone is saying on paper or electronic devices.  Communication in that way is from eyes to brain and ultimately to the heart.

Our approach.  How do you come to God?  Do you come barging in, banging on His door for an answer now?  Do you come quietly and humbly, thanking Him for His work in your life?  Billy Graham once said, “One can approach the Bible with a cold, rationalistic attitude, or one can do so with reverence and the desire to hear God speak.”  If we really want to hear God’s voice, we need to prepare ourselves for coming into His presence.

Recognition.  How do children recognize their parents’ voices?  They’ve heard mom and dad speak to them since the day they were born and even while they were in the womb.  So when they hear their voices, they respond because they know and recognize their voices.  We learn to recognize God’s voice by studying His Word, memorizing it, and hiding it in our hearts.  Then when a voice tries to speak to us that isn’t His, a little warning bell goes off in our mind and heart that says, wait a minute, that doesn’t sound right because it doesn’t match what we know of God’s Word and His heart.  But it will only warn us as far as our knowledge of God’s Word extends.  If we don’t have much of His Word in us, then He can’t use it to warn us.  That’s why it’s so important to hide His Word in our heart and mind.

I hear you!  This is an expression we often use when we are listening to someone give their opinion or experience.  We agree or empathize with them and say I hear you! to let them know that we are listening.  I hope you can say I hear you! to God today.

In the next post we’ll talk about answering the door in response to hearing God’s voice.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, help me to hear Your voice through the Bible, sermons, music, and other avenues You choose to speak through. I don’t want to miss what You are saying and I don’t want to mistake someone else’s voice for Yours.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

“Anyone who belongs to God listens
gladly to the words of God.
But you don’t listen
because you don’t belong to God.”
John 8:47, NLT

Today as we focus on listening to God and answering when He calls, a phrase from a Christmas carol comes to my mind:  “Do you hear what I hear?”

Belonging.  My doll belonged to me and no one could take her from me.  In fact, I still have her and she sits on the chest of drawers in my bedroom.  I talked to her in my childhood and pretended she was talking back to me.  We “knew” each other.  The same holds true now with my cat even though she’s deaf.  She knows me when she sees me and recognizes my touch.  When a guest comes, she has to check them out before deciding if she’ll let them near her.

Belonging involves a connection between two or more people or objects.  The beaters in my kitchen closet belong to the electric mixer.  Pairs of things like shoes belong together.  Individuals of a family belong together.  If you are part of a group or organization, you say you belong to it.  How is the connection with God?  Do you belong to Him?

Hearing.  Unless they’re deaf like my cat, everyone can hear the person in the room—or sometimes the neighbor way down the street!  LOL  Hearing just means you have ears and they work.  You hear what the other person says, but that doesn’t mean you’re really listening nor that you’ll respond.  It just means that your ears heard the words.  Some people hear the Lord speaking but choose not to respond.

Listening.  That’s a step above hearing.  Now you not only hear the words, but you’re processing them in your brain and will respond in some fashion.  You acknowledge what your ears hear and prepare to act accordingly.  When you listen, you’re ready and willing to respond to what you heard.

Discerning.  When I hear voices outside or someone comes to my door, I listen to see if I recognize them.  Peepholes are no help when a person covers it up so if I don’t recognize the voice, I don’t answer the door.  That’s how we must be when we hear a voice telling us to do something.  We must discern if the voice is of an authentic person we know, and if it isn’t, don’t answer the “door” (respond to the voice).

Source.  What is the source of the voice?  When I have a voicemail on my phone, if the caller doesn’t say who they are and the message is cryptic or unrelated to anything I’m aware of, I just delete it.  If it is from someone I know or about something I’m involved in, then I know I can trust the source.  With so many spam and fraudulent telemarketers and political callers, it is difficult to know if there is any truth in what they are saying. 

The voice of God does not usually come through sources like newspapers, magazines, and other secular resources, though sometimes God chooses to nudge us through them.  God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible, prayer, other Christians, and Christian publications.  Don’t allow yourself to be influenced or led astray by sources that promote or allow decisions or activities that are not God-honoring and worthy of His blessing.

Unplugged.  Things like cell phones and laptops only work for so long on battery before they need to be recharged.  When I know a storm is heading my way, I plug in all my devices to charge so that if the electric goes out I can still use my devices for a period of time.  That’s especially important when cell phone is your only source of communication in case of emergency.  I always plug my phone in when I go to bed so that it’s fully charged for the next day.  One morning I woke up and my phone was depleted because I discovered that the plug at the outlet had gotten disconnected (probably my cat tripped over the cord and pulled it out).

When we become unplugged from our spiritual source, God, or we never plugged into Him in the first place, we aren’t filled with the wisdom and knowledge He provides and are not drawing on the spiritual source of life needed for this life.  If we aren’t plugged in to the source, we won’t be listening for His voice and won’t hear when He tries to speak to us.

“Anyone with ears to hear
should listen and understand!”
Matthew 11:15, NLT

Faith comes by hearing…more about that in the next post.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, help me to listen—really listen—for Your voice. Help me to hear, listen, and understand what You are saying to me each and every day.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

“My sheep listen to my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:27, NIV

This week as we focus on listening to God and answering when He calls, we have an example from the animal kingdom that can teach us a few things.

I like to go different places and take photos that I can use with my blog and devotionals.  So one day I visited the farm of a couple from my church who had sheep.  We know that Jesus used sheep as an example in his parables and teachings.  Let’s find out why. 

Alert.  When sheep hear a voice, their ears perk up.  I walked up to the pen and talked to them, trying to coax them over to the fence, but they just stood and looked at me.  Even the lambs didn’t move towards me.  I would have thought they’d come right to me like little kids usually do, but they didn’t.  When the lady came out to meet me, she explained that they didn’t recognize my voice.  So they just stood and watched and listened.  When you hear a voice, do you listen up and try to discern whose voice it is if you don’t see anyone?

These sheep were in a pen so they couldn’t run away.  When I was little there was a sheep farm behind my grandmother’s house and as soon as I got near the fence, they ran far into the field.  They will not come close to or follow a voice that they don’t recognize.  Oh that we would be like that!  Too often we hear a voice and listen only to find out sometimes too late that it wasn’t who we thought it was.

Familiar.  The sheep also use their other senses.  I didn’t have the “farm scent” on me.  My movements were different than the people they were familiar with.  Nor did I have any food or treats for them.  The lambs stood still by their mama and just watched me until they had a sense of what was going on.  When the lady talked to them, pulled a treat from her pocket, and reached over the fence, they slowly came over to her, still a little hesitant because I was standing next to her.  At first when I tried to pet them, they pulled away, but as I kept talking to them and she gave me a treat for them, they came over to me.

Are you familiar with the voice of our Good Shepherd?  We need to stay close to Him, learn His ways, His words, and know when it is Him speaking.  Sheep easily go astray when they are not paying attention and then find themselves in trouble, needing rescue of the shepherd.  That’s probably where we get the saying from:  “The grass is always greener on the other side.”

Know.  The sheep didn’t know who I was.  They’d never seen me nor heard my voice before.  But the lady of the farm was someone they had seen, heard, and touched before.  They knew she was kind to them, fed them, and let them out to run in the pasture.  One article I read on the internet said that sheep are emotional which is why they come to someone they know and flee from strangers.  They get stressed out just like us humans.

When we know our Shepherd, we know not just His voice, but what He looks like, and we know His touch.  We don’t know exactly what Jesus or God looks like physically, but we can know His characteristics, His personality, and His loving, healing touch. 

Trust.  The sheep didn’t totally trust me at first and only a couple of them actually came close enough for me to pet them.  They trusted the lady, though, and went to her.  Do we trust Jesus to lead us in the right paths?  Do we trust Him with our problems, our finances, our families, our future?  He knows all about us and wants us to trust Him with everything.

Sheep were treated as prized possessions in Biblical times.  Unfortunately today we tend to use the adjective dumb to describe sheep.  They’re not so dumb, though, because they know their shepherd and trust Him.  Can we say the same?

Follow.  When the mama sheep finally came to me, then the lambs came right over.  They trusted their mama and followed her lead.  Are you trusting the Good Shepherd to lead you?  Then follow Him…as the chorus goes:

Follow, I will follow thee, my Lord,
Follow ev’ry passing day
My tomorrows are all known to thee,
Thou wilt lead me all the way.

Jesus knows who are His sheep.  You may think you know and are following Him, but if He doesn’t know you, that’s a problem.  Make sure you belong to the Good Shepherd and are following His lead.  More about that in the next post.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, I want to be a good listener and a good follower, careful like sheep, and discerning. Please grant me the ears to hear and other senses to recognize Your voice.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation