By Dr. Rebekah McCloud
I believe God still speaks to people. There are 680 references in the Bible about the voice of God. The Bible says in Matthew 11:15, “Whoever has ears, let him hear.” Do we hear the Lord? We might…sometimes, half of the time, always, never; you choose. Sometimes we hear him loud and clear, sometimes as a whisper and sometimes in bits and pieces because we have a bad connection. Amen.
I’m reminded of the people of old who heard God’s voice.
- In Genesis 3:8, we read about Adam who heard God in the “cool of the evening.”
- In Deuteronomy 4:12, we read about Moses who heard God in the “midst of the fire.”
- In 1 King 19: 12-13, we read that Elijah heard the Lord as a “still small voice.” And,
- In Job 38:1, we read that Job heard the Lord out of a whirlwind.
God was telling them something! Amen.
Recently, I’ve had lots of challenges. Throughout them all, I believe God’s been talking. He been trying to tell me something. The past few months have been overwhelming for me and members of my family. There’s been cancer prognoses, surgeries and chemotherapy. I’ve been a caregiver of sorts to all.
I’ve been working 12-14 hours, 2-3 days a week. My computer at work crashed resulting in the loss of 12 years of data. And, the lawn mower ate my keys. Additionally, we had a major leak at the house that revealed black mold and asbestos. We had to move out as part of the house will need to be gutted.
Boy, was God trying to tell me something! Momma would say the Lord was speaking “mighty loud.” Sadly, I was like Samuel. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 3:7, the Lord spoke to Samuel, but he did not recognize the Lord’s voice.
Andrew Wommack[1] says, “The Lord constantly speaks to us and gives us His direction. It’s never the Lord who is not speaking, but it’s us who are not hearing…God is constantly transmitting His voice to his sheep, but few are turned on and tuned in. Most Christians are busy pleading with God in prayer to transmit when the problem is with their receivers.”
The Lord didn’t speak to me in the cool of the evening, through a burning bush or a whirlwind or in a still small voice. He spoke to me through sickness, a dead computer, a fist full of mangled keys and a broken toilet. I didn’t initially hear him because I was trying to take things into my own hands, shoulder responsibilities, and make decisions I should have left to him.
What was he saying, you ask? “I got this… I won’t put more on you than you can bear… I will give you rest… I am a very present help in a time of trouble… I will send you a comforter… Lean not to your own understanding… be anxious for nothing… All things work together for the good… my grace is sufficient for thee…If I am for you, who can be against you? I got this.” My Lord, what a promise! Amen and Amen.
I believe God still speaks to people. Is he trying to tell you something? Is it something about how you are living, about your stewardship, or about your beliefs, your decisions or your actions? Is he talking to you about your Christian walk or about something else? You fill in the blank. The million dollar question is do you hear him?
Let me leave you with Isaiah 55:6, it says, “Seek him while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” Amen! Do you hear him?
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[1] Wommack, Andrew (2019). How to: Hear God’s Voice. https://www.awmi.net/reading/teaching-articles/gods_voice/.