I went down for prayer tonight after the service. The person who prayed for me didn't enquire of the reason I was there. She prayed and then told me that what she felt very strongly was God reassuring me of His call over my life. The word was that God wanted to encourage me to not give in to situations and give up but to look to Him instead of to the right and left so I will not be swayed and overwhelmed. There was no specific call stated, just a firm reinforcement that He has called me to rise up and lead in His house. That I ought to continue in what I am doing and commit all my ways to Him that He may work in and through my life to accomplish His wondrous and perfect plans, plans to prosper His people and give us hope and a future. 2 Peter 1: 3-11: making one's calling and election sure
Are You Listening to God?
"They said to Moses, 'You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die'" Exodus 20:19
We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God— we simply don’t listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them— not because of wilful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.
"You speak with us, . . . but let not God speak with us . . . ." We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don’t want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God’s servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, "Well, that’s only your own idea, even though I don’t deny that what you said is probably God’s truth."
Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, "Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?" This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.
Oswald Chambers
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