By Dr. Dan Coflin, Pastor, River of Life Church
I am sure you have even if you may not have recognized it. God speaks in so many ways. The Bible tells us that all of creation reveals the glory of God and declares His greatness. The mountains sing and the trees clap their hands and the oceans roar with praises unto him. \Even the invisible things of God are clearly seen in the visible creation that declares His eternal power (Romans 1:20).
Recorded in the scriptures are the many ways God speaks to us. Dreams, visions, angels, animals, a loud thunderous voice, and sometimes a small voice as soft as a whisper. The heavens, the heights, angels, sun, moon, stars of light, mighty creatures, oceans depths, fire, hail, snow, clouds, stormy wind, mountains, hills, fruitful trees, cedars, beasts, cattle, creeping things, and flying fowl, kings of the earth, princes, judges, young men, maidens, old men, and children all are voices praising God and speaking of His greatness (Psalms 148). Jesus said, “he that has ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit says…” (Mark 4:9)
Jesus is called the Word of God. He is the voice of God. Jesus said, “The words I speak are not my own but what I hear the Father say….” (John 14:10). The Book of Hebrews tells us that God spoke to people by the prophets, but now He is speaking to us by His Son and describes him as the “brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:1-3).
Are you paying attention to His voice? God said the children of Israel got into trouble when they stopped listening to God’s voice but made their own voices loud. Jesus is “the Word made flesh.” (John 1:14) In other words, the life of Jesus spoke not only with words but everything Jesus did revealed who God is and His love for all humanity.
Why don’t people hear what God is saying? Jesus said they have closed their eyes and ears and “Their minds are dull and slow to perceive, their ears are plugged and are hard of hearing, and they have deliberately shut their eyes to the truth. Otherwise, they would open their eyes to see, and open their ears to hear, and open their minds to understand. Then they would turn to me, and I would instantly heal them.” (Matthew 13:15 TPT)
Man’s inability to hear God’s voice is often because of the many other voices that demand his attention or even the purposeful “loudness” self-imposed through the radio or stereo to drown out any silence that would give him the opportunity to hear God. It is amazing to think that man’s opinion of God is so intimidating that man would purposefully attempt to not hear the very voice of love and forgiveness we see so plainly in the life and words of Jesus.
Do you have ears to hear? Who are you listening to? Why not seek a place of silence where you can open your ears and your heart to hear the “good news” God has for you?