We Ought To Listen

Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me Psalms 81:8, 11.

The book of Psalms chapter 81, verses 8 –14 tells a sad story. It is about God’s chosen people that stubbornly refused to listen to Him. They basically rejected His grace in favor their own fleshly pleasures. They wasted their life away and suffered in the process.

They were given every favor and earthly privilege. God blessed them above every nation on the face of the earth; making them the head and giving them victory in every area of life. A God that loved them unconditionally blessed them beyond measure requested them to "hear" Him.

God spoke to His people and He will speak to us as well. He spoke directly to the heart of Abraham; "…Get thee out of thy country, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed Genesis 12: 1-3." I can imagine it was very difficult for Abraham to obey such a far out command, but he did. He had to leave.

It wasn’t that Abraham’s dad was a bad influence or that he lived in a rough neighborhood. I don’t believe that by staying Abraham could not have been successful. But staying would have placed him outside of the parameters of God, and God would not have been able to make him a great nation. Therefore, when God spoke, Abraham listened.

No matter how great the difficulty that you face, instead of seeking counsel from somebody, search the Word of God. God told Joshua, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do all that is written in it. Then you will make your way prosperous, then you will have good success" Joshua 1: 7-8. The Word was Joshua’s guide, but he had to listen to and obey what the Word said. As long as Joshua obeyed the Word, his success was guaranteed.

Do you know how God guides us? He guides us through His Word. Do you know how He challenges us, warns us, comforts and encourages us? He does all this through His Word. Whenever we face an obstacle in our life, we should stay in the Word until God speaks to our heart.

God also speaks to us through other people. In the 18^th chapter of the book of Exodus, God spoke to Moses through his father-in-law Jethro (see Exodus 18: 14-24). Although Moses had become a famous leader, he received some advice that could very well have added some years to his life. God often uses the people you live with; the ones that love you the most, pray for you the hardest and have your best interest at heart, to speak a wise word to you.

When I got out of the armed services, I had not yet figured out what I wanted to do with my life. My mother suggested the field of nursing and I listened to her. Therefore, through the field of nursing I have been blessed professionally and financially, and to this present time, the field of nursing impacts my life. God only knows where I would be had I chosen to disregard that bit of advice from my mom. But God used her, and by listening I was blessed tremendously.

That is why we should be very careful what we say to people. Our words should always be seasoned with grace and mercy. We should consider how we respond to people and what we say to them. Too often we thoughtlessly speak the negative. We need to understand the potential we have to be a spokesman for God.

God even speaks through things that happen to us. It may not have been the will of God for us to end up in the hospital, but we need to consider whether or not God was saying something to us. We need to ask ourselves, "Was God speaking to me through that failure or disappointment?" "Is God speaking through this success"? God uses all circumstances of life to speak to us. We ought to listen.

God never says anything unless it is important. He doesn’t chitchat, gossip or speculate. He doesn’t qualify His statements or site references. He speaks clearly so that we won’t miss it. He wants us to understand the truth so that we won’t be deceived. God is working things out for our good.

Many times God is speaking clearly, but we cannot hear Him because we are not equipped. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, or have entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things" 1 Corinthians 2:9. If you do not have His Spirit within you, then God cannot reveal certain things to you. You aren’t equipped to hear Him. You cannot imagine what you are missing if you cannot hear God speaking. The Spirit within the child of God knows the mind of God, and receives and communicates to our spirit the truth that God wants us to know.

God wants us to know the truth about Him. He doesn’t just want us to talk about it or repeat what someone else said, or that we read in a book. He wants us to comprehend His holiness, His power, His love and grace. God’s truth enriches our lives.

God wants us to know the truth about ourselves. We are an important part of God’s plan, but somehow we miss it in our day-to-day living. We have so many privileges and promises, but we need God to reveal to us how to utilize them.

God also wants us to know the truth about other people. You see, because I know God through the Word, I can see through suppose to be Christians on my job and in my community.

God is speaking all around us all the time. We ought to listen. If it’s through our family, we ought to listen. If it’s through our circumstances, we ought to listen.

We all communicate something all day long. We communicate by what we say and do. If I tell my family that we cannot afford to pay tithes because we have too many bills, then I am communicating a lie to them. I am telling them that we can’t trust God with our money; that God is not faithful to meet our needs. If we can’t trust God in money matters, how can we trust Him for salvation?

If my family never sees me studying the Word of God, I am telling them that I am smart enough to make it on my own. I am following the same lie that Adam and Eve followed in the beginning. If my family never sees me pray, I am showing them that I don’t need wisdom and counsel from God.

No matter how often we miss God, He keeps right on speaking to us. We disobey, but He forgives. We fall short, but He encourages us to try again. In our most desperate times, God is right there to guide us through. He will show us the right way to go. And when we listen, we will be glad we did.

By: Edmund Brown