Are You Listening?

 

Job 33:14-15 NLT - For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds.

Have you ever felt that God has spoken to you? I have and it is very humbling to know that God chose me. He has chosen you too. There are countless stories in the Bible where God has spoken to someone and they were like, um who? Me? No Lord, not me. Yet, they stood up to the task and it was often times victorious and other times it was not so victorious.

Job was challenged beyond measure. He lost everything. He lost all of his children and their spouses. He lost is livelihood and he lost his resolve. On top of that his body was covered in painful boils and he cut on himself out of anguish. His friends judged and mocked him. His wife was not all that supportive either, she told Job to curse God and die. Job 2:8-10 NLT - ⁸ Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. ⁹ His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” ¹⁰ But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?”  So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

Job talked to God and he also listened. At the end of that hard and trying journey, Job was restored with blessings greater than what he lost and he also came away from that horrifying situation with valuable lessons. All of us have had many challenges. We have cried ourselves to sleep or we may have gotten angry and gave up all hope. I know what that is like. Throughout my adult life God has spoken to me to do something, say something, and even not to say or do something. For me it seems that God talks more to me in my sleep. I wake up like okay Lord, what was that about? I don’t always get the answer right away and there are times I don’t get an answer at all. But when the answer is revealed, I am amazed. What I have found out is that when I do exactly what he tells me to do, it works out and I or someone else was blessed. There have been times when I did not do what I was directed to do and that was a valuable lesson.  Think about that next time God speaks. It can either be a blessing or lesson. At the end of the day, all that we face is so that we can look to God and praise Him.

Psalm 85:8 NLT - I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways.

 

I encourage you to slow down and listen for Gods whisper. Spend some quality time in His word and let the words minister to your heart. Examine yourself. Examine your integrity and disobedience. Ask God to forgive you and know that He has and then, forgive yourself. I will say that again, forgive yourself. The next time you are called in your spirit to go to that quiet spot, get moving because God is waiting for you. Are you listening?

Be Blessed.