God Speaks; We Dig

Genesis 26:23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well.

We saw yesterday that God had spoken to Isaac and told him: "don't go," so Isaac stayed and settled in, only to end up being asked to leave.  He goes to Beersheba, which became a special place in the Promised land - the landmark for its southernmost border.  When God appeared to Issac there, promising his blessing, Isaac knew it was a safe place to be and had his servants dig a well, meaning he planned on being there awhile.  Isaac was catching on to what it meant to learn to listen to God.  It affects where we go, what we do, how we live - not by fear, but trust in God's Word.

When God Says: "Don't Go There"

Genesis 26:1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 

We have already seen God telling people to go, go in, go out. He also says "do not go." Isaac had seen some of God's faithfulness to his father and the way He directed him where to go.  God repeats the promise He had given to Abraham as also belonging to Isaac.  Isaac was able to actually spend time there, though it was still under the rule of Abimelech.  He also made some of the same dumb mistakes his father, had, which added to his great success made the Philistines envious and suspicious, and he had to leave. But at least Isaac "got a taste" of the promised land and the success God would give there.  It started when God said: "Don't go," so Isaac obeyed and stayed.

God Hears Both Sides and Speaks

Genesis 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 

Did you ever wonder how God can hear prayers on both sides of an issue and answer both prayers? We saw yesterday of the dilemma Abraham had when Sarah wanted to send Hagar and her son away. He was double-minded on what to do. God gave him an answer and called on him to take care of the rest. Here on the other side was Hagar, rightfully feeling wrong and especially distraught over how it affected her son. We notice here God heard the boy and called to his mother.  He calls on her to make a different choice, a better choice, and also trust in God.  She responded to His call and God kept His promise to her and her son.

God Says: "Allow It"

 

Genesis 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

It is not uncommon to find in scripture men of God getting themselves in deep messes.  Abraham was a shining example.  He had gone along with Sarah's idea to have a son through Hagar, only to have things backfire and Sarah now demand that he send mother and child away.  Abraham had no easy option. He knew in his heart sending her away was not what he as head of the household should do, but he also had to live with Sarah's constant nagging.  What to do, what to do.  God tells him to let them go.  Sometimes we get to the point that we cannot control things, and God steps in and speaks up, helping us make the hard choice. HE knows what lies ahead. We don't. Let's listen to Him

God Says: Watch Out!

 

Genesis 20:1 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

This is one of those passages where we look at the actions of one of God's people and shake our heads, until we look in the mirror. Thankfully God does intervene often to defend others from our stupidity (and us from others'.) God said to Abimelech: "You really don't want to go there; you don't what to do that." Abimelech humbly received God's warning, and so should we. 

God Speaks to Our Thoughts...

 Genesis 17:15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

In the same passage as yesterday, God gets more detailed about his plans for Abram and Sarai. When Abram heard the plan, "he laughed and said to himself, as if God could not hear.  God made it clear that He does hear our thoughts and replied to them.  God was seeking to align Abram with His plan, changing Sarai "my princess" (meaning Abram's princess) to simply Sarah "princess", indicating she was princess for all. God would give her a son not just for Abram, but for all mankind. She was God's princess in His plan. 

God Said: "I Have Plans"

Genesis 17: 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 

Like with Noah, God had earlier told Abram to "Go", and he did. Now that Abram had been going for a while, God says "I have plans for you and your descendants." It is often after we have been walking and talking with God for a while, learning to listen to His leading, that He begins to show and tell us what His plans are, so we know where we are heading and why we are going there. Our relationship with God is for the long haul - not just to bail us out when things are bad, or we have really messed up. Let us learn to listen as He directs, then the bigger picture will eventually become a little clearer.

God says "Fill"

 

Genesis 9:8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 

There are only a handful of covenants made by God in Scripture.  This is the first of them. At the beginning of this chapter, God told Noah and his sons to go out and fill the earth.  That did not mean they were on their own; God would maintain a relationship with them. They would not have to live in fear of such a great flood of judgment again.  In the proceeding verses, He also promised that human life would be sacred, unlike the time before the flood when wicked men were given to violence.   Along with His promise to watch over them was a new standard they were to live by before Him, being good stewards of the renewed creation He was entrusting to them.  The rainbow reminds us of God's faithfulness.

God Says "Go Out"

Genesis 8:15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

We have seen the past two days that God told Noah to build the ark, then when to go into it. Noah did all God commanded. Now He told Him to go out. The residents of the ark may well have been claustrophobic after a year together there, but there may also have been a sense of comfort and security as they looked out onto a whole new world.  Things were different than when and where they left them.  Often missionaries have a hard time coming back to Western culture and all the changes that have taken place. The point is that we need to continue to listen to God instruct us for when to go in, out, to, or from. He has much more for us than we could ever imagine. 

God says "Go"

Genesis 7:1 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” 5 And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.

Yesterday we saw that God said "Do", and Noah obeyed, following His directions for building the ark. Now it is time for Noah to go into it, taking all these animals with him.  It sounds overwhelming - even getting them all collected and inside. It's a study in itself look at all the people to whom God said "Go." Obviously, God provides help when He calls us to do or go, but it is pointed out that Noah did all the Lord commanded.  How often do we only go part way, doing only some of what God has instructed us?  

God Says "Do"

Genesis 6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 

Once again, we see that God sees and says. He reveals both Himself and His plan.  Sometimes He tells us very clearly what is on His mind, as He did here with Noah.  But He doesn't stop there: He tells us what He wants us to do in reference to His plan.  Without this information, Noah would have been helpless and hopeless when the flood came.  But since God gave him information and instructions, Noah and His family could and would be saved from the coming destruction.  God said "Make", which is a word that in many languages also means "Do." God tells us what to do for our own good, in response to what He will do.  May we follow His instructions.

God Stops Saying and Starts Sending

Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. 

Perhaps the most dramatic part of this chapter is at then end of verse 22, where God does not complete His statement, represented by the "-". The Godhead (and we) don't want to even think of what it would be like for sinful rebellion to last forever...  Action was required.  Thus, we have seen throughout His-tory that when God speaks He does end up acting, often sending someone and/or something to realign man's action or condition with His will and purpose. He sends judgments and deliverers, problems and promises, all the while having a long-term view of what life is intended to be. May we listen and learn from what He says and what He sends.

Individual Attention

 

Genesis 3:14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; or you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

At the beginning of this chapter, there are three characters involved in the Fall.  Each was responsible for his/her part in this drastic event. Each made excuses. Therefore, God said something to each one. His reply fit the part that person had in the event and the results of their failure on their future.  What we must also realize here is that God had spoken to them before. They had not paid attention to His instructions. May we listen more intently, and obediently, when God gives us instruction and correction.

God's Convicting Call

 

Genesis 3:8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 

The man knew the voice of God. He had heard Him speak before.  But he also had heard Him walking before He spoke. Man hid. He really did not want to hear what God had to say, but when man heard Him speak, he knew there was nowhere to escape.  God cuts to the chase with a very pointed question: "Did you disobey?" God came wanting to walk and talk with the man, but first He had to give this convicting call.  It was not to be a big bully, but to address the elephant in the room: "man has sinned and something needs to be done. God still lovingly speaks the same way today. How will respond to His call?

God Talks Out Loud

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

When we look at verse 18, we really need to stop and ask: "Who was God talking to?" Was He talking to all the planets, plants, and animals He had made? He was talking to Himself - in other words the Three Persons of the Trinity were talking to one another.  We see the same thing in 1:26, when He said: Let Us make man in our image, after our likeness. God "talks out loud" for our benefit, to let us know how He is thinking, why He is acting, and what He is like. He reveals to us what His character is, what His plan is, and what part we have with Him in doing it. He talks out loud to include us.

God's Owner's Manual

 

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 

We have begun looking at what happens when God said: He made His creation and put things into motion. When it came to mankind, God was more meticulous and deliberate in His assembly and directions as to how man is to operate.  The instructions are not only for man, but how he is to interact with the rest of creation.  God speaks and He writes things down. He knows how forgetful we can be. 

God Said and It Moved

 Genesis 1:9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together 

                    into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 

                11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, 

                    and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to 

                    its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 
                20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, 

                    and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”
                24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according 

                    to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth 

                    according to their kinds.” And it was so.

In between God creating the different parts of our physical world, He also moved things around and made growing vegetation, moving waters, and all the creatures on the land, above it, and in the waters. God is not a two-dimensional artist; He designs and creates movement which begins with His voice.  In the same way, God sees what needs to be done, hears the call of our voice, speaks to us in many ways, including His creation, and expects movement. Is there any way He is speaking to you, and you are refusing to budge?

God Said and It Existed

Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
                6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of 
                the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
               14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the 
                heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be 
                for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 

We have been looking at God as the One Who Sees and Hears, watching over us and listening to us. Perhaps more profound (and prolific in scripture) is that God speaks, revealing to us something about Himself, this world He has made, and the life He offers to us as His creation. The words above are very familiar to many, but no less significant, as they show us that The God Who Speaks had a plan before He spoke. He is purposeful and so is this planet and our very lives. As we work our way through the Bible once again, let us listen as He speaks and learn what we may have missed.

When God Listens...

II Corinthians 6:1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,
“In a favorable time I listened to you,
    and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 

3 We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 

This passage follows immediately after Paul's challenge in which he says twice: "We do not lose heart." He is quoting from Isaiah.  Paul is talking about the Holy Spirit being the driving force in his ministry and his life.  He in no way sought to take the place of the Holy Spirit, but to work with Him when He was moving, listening, working. In our own lives, and as we seek to help others in their spiritual journey, we need to make sure we put not obstacle in the way of people hearing God's voice and realizing He has heard theirs. Our goal is to keep the channel of communication open and see God at work changing our lives and others as well.

Not Rejected!

Psalm 66:16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
    and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
17 I cried to him with my mouth,
    and high praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened;
    he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

This psalm begins with a call to all the world, especially His people, to come and see what God has done. It includes not only His great acts of delivering His people from bondage and oppression; it also contains the personal things He has done for the psalmist, for his soul.  Notice that what is called for is for us to call out to God in praise no matter what is going on.  Then, when we do call out to Him in time of distress, He is used to hearing our voice call out to Him. He is already listening. We just need to call. Can you personally conclude as the psalmist:

20 Blessed be God,
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    or removed his steadfast love from me!

Journey's Mercies

Ezra 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

The account of Ezra and the rebuilding of the temple has been primarily preparations to this point, but now they are ready to set out.  The only known of the journey was where they were heading.  It was as full of anxieties as the Exodus from Egypt.  Ezra called for fasting and prayer for safety on the journey, and God listened.  He saw them safely past enemies old and new, and the rugged journey of various terrains. Most of all, He took them through their own doubts and disagreements.  God listens when we call out to Him.

The Lord Listens and Saves

 II Kings 13:3 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael. 4 Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them. 5 (Therefore the Lord gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in their homes as formerly.

We have already looked at some of the better kings of Judah - Hezekiah and Josiah - who called out to God and were heard by Him.  Jehoahaz was rather one of those kings who did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat(v.2). Things were so bad people did not even feel safe staying in their own homes. Unlike most of the other kings, Jehoahaz sought the favor of the Lord. The Lord listened and gave a savior.  As a result, the people were at least able to live at home in peace. The point is this: you are not too sinful for God to hear you, to listen to you.  Call out to Him and see. He sees, hears, listens, and has sent His Savior.

The Lord Listens

I Kings 17:20 And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again.” 22 And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” 24 And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

In our culture we often make a big deal about the difference between hearing and listening.  We know that a person has heard what we said, but we also know by his/her actions, or lack thereof, that listening has not occurred.  In this account the widow had seen God provide sufficient food for survival for her, her son, and Elijah. The son ended up dying anyway.  Elijah called out to God in prayer over and over again. The Lord listened, and the woman came to see what many in Israel refused to - that Elijah spoke for God. If we will consistently and continually call out to God, we will find Him to be the One who hears and listens, and we will learn to listen to Him, and we will know Truth.

A History of Hearing

 Deuteronomy 9:17 So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes. 18 Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me that time also. 20 And the Lord was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. 21 Then I took the sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain.

As we begin to wind down our study on "The God Who Hears," we find some passages like this one, where Moses is recalling his experiences leading the people of Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness.  This account certainly stuck out in his mind and theirs: The Golden Calf.  When Moses had come down from Mt Sinai his reaction was extreme, but he was more concerned what the Lord's reaction might be. He was "afraid" God would destroy them all, especially his brother Aaron. But when he called out to God, God listened, just like He had every time they had messed up. He did not punish as they deserved. He is a God of Mercy.

Did He Hear Clearly?

 

John 11:1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

We have seen that Jesus heard and responded to things, even when they were said to someone else, or were not even spoken, but only said in men's hearts.  Here, however, the message is sent to, intended for, and delivered directly to Jesus: Lazarus was very sick.  Jesus shows that He received by message by responding that it was not a fatal illness, but it was.  Was Jesus wrong? Had he heard incorrectly? This well-known passage goes on to say that Lazarus indeed did die.  Jesus heard very clearly, and He also saw very clearly what lie ahead.  He knew that God would use this event to proclaim the power of God to raise the dead, a power brought about by and administered by Christ - exactly the message they needed to see and we need to hear.  Sometimes we think God doesn't hear, or maybe mis-hears our prayers by the way He answers. The reality is that He does hear us clearly and also sees clearly what to truly best answer is.

Jesus Hears and Corrects

John 9: 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

This whole chapter focuses on Jesus healing a blind man in the temple complex on the Sabbath.  When the religious leaders heard about it they were infuriated, at first refusing to believe the facts of the matter, then in jealousy and hatred kicking the man out of the temple for being healed and telling the truth.  Jesus was not about to let them get away with such injustice. He corrects the man's incomplete understanding of Who He was and corrects the Pharisees on who was really blind.  The man was not wrong; they were. They had refused to see their sin, guilt, and spiritual blindness and to ask for God's forgiveness and sight. 

But When He Heard...

Matthew 9:10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

As we watch the Son of God interact with people in the Gospels, there are not a lot of mentions of His hearing, as He always was able to read people's hearts and minds. But on a few occasions the writers record that Jesus heard what was said in order to preface something important He had to say in response. It is the combination of the word "heard" in a sentence beginning with "But."  Jesus heard and corrected false statements and twisted theology. Here, Jesus was about to contradict their statements and their misunderstanding. When He does so, the significance of His proclamation is huge: "you must first realize you are a sinner in order to receive mercy and grace." Often when we cry out to God we think He does not hear us.  He does. We just need to realize His answer may (and often will) begins with correcting the false views of Him, our situation, and reality itself.

Jesus Hears and Marvels?

Matthew 8:5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 

As the Son of God, we know there is not much which could amaze Jesus. Yet on this occasion, Jesus heard and marveled.  He knew men's hearts, always able to hear them express doubt, hatred, and every possible kind of response without them saying a word.  But here he hears this man proclaim an understanding few had: Jesus was One with authority and compassion.  God has magnificent power and mercy. This leader connected with Christ in a way few had. He got it. He expressed it. He trusted in Jesus.  Do we?

God Hears; We Listen.

 

Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked,
    but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
    and good news refreshes the bones.
31 The ear that listens to life-giving reproof
    will dwell among the wise.
32 Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,
    but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
    and humility comes before honor.

The fact of the matter is that God is always waiting to hear.  The thought that He is "far from the wicked" does not mean that He cannot see or hear, but the wicked just are not calling out to Him for Him to answer. The question is whether we are ready to listen to Him when He replies to our call. That is often determined by whether we will listen to what He has already said. He has given instruction, reproof, and good news already. If we will not listen to that, what is the probability we will humbly call out to Him for more?  If God seems so far away, stop to read what He has already said. If you don't understand what He has said, ask Him to show you, instruct you, explain to you. He will hear your cry and send an answer. 

The Lord Hears the Needy

 Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song;
    I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox
    or a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 When the humble see it they will be glad;
    you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
33 For the Lord hears the needy
    and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

This psalm is recognizable from the start as a psalm of David, beginning with the cry: Save me, O God! The imagery of the psalm (well-worth reading in its entirety, hint-hint) pictures him as tire of running and hiding from the many who are to get him. He cries out for deliverance, redemption, justice, and salvation.  But the real hope he has in God's answering is the very character of God: He hears the need and frees His people.  The answer begins when we, like David, recognize His Goodness and our neediness, and trust Him as our God and Savior.  Whatever your need, He will hear.

Confidence in Being Heard

 I John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Sometimes when we are talking with other people we are not really sure whether they heard us or not. Either we say something and there is no response, or there is a nod or even verbal reply that our message was heard, but no actual action or reaction to what we have said. We have no assurance communication has taken place.  The apostle John was big on assurance: assurance of forgiveness and salvation, assurance of God's love and mercy, and the assurance, the confidence that God hears us and will answer when we pray.  It's kind of a package deal.  I wonder if often when we feel God does not hear us if it is related to a lack of confidence in His love and redemption and in the very character of God. Do you know Who He really is?

The Peace of Being Heard

 Psalm 4:1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
    You have given me relief when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
    How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 Be angry, and do not sin;
    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
    Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
7 You have put more joy in my heart
    than they have when their grain and wine abound.
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

We all want to be heard - to know that someone is listening to us - that our thoughts, our words, our lives matter to someone.  In this short psalm David expresses lessons he has learned calling out to God. He knows that: the Lord hears when I call, the Lord had given him relief; The Lord had given him a joy far exceeding the happiness of the rich and a peace knowing God was watching over him.  David wanted his fellow man (and us) to know that this was available to those who put their trust in Him.

Asking Others to Pray Too...

Isaiah 37:1 As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’”

In this study we have looked before at how God heard the prayers offered to God by Hezekiah during his reign.  Today we take another look and see that he asked others to pray for him: his assistant, secretary, the priests, and especially Isaiah. He knew people who prayed better than he and whom he had heard God had heard.  Notice their plea as well: perhaps God would hear the mocking words of Rabshakeh toward God and do something about it. There is something higher than our pain and problems: the glory of God. If we believe in a God Who hears and answers, and who is worthy of glory, we are beginning to understand the God to Whom we call and what He can do. 

He Hears When the Heart Is Faint

 

Psalm 61:Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,
3 for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
4 Let me dwell in your tent forever!
    Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

This is a psalm we can hear David singing.  Actually the psalm goes on to tell us it is the king singing it. David was for a long time a man on the run. Even a tent was a welcome shelter.  But he felt a far greater security under the protection of God, Who heard him and watched over him.  God is still listening today to those who are faint of heart and call out to Him.

When God Did Not "Hear"

Genesis 30:1 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” 2 Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 Then she said, “Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her.” 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan. 

The rivalry between Rachel and Leah was intense.  It very much reflected the rivalry between her husband Jacob and his brother Esau.  We also see the same kind of manipulation taking place, trying to control the story to get one's own way. Rachel wanted it to appear like God had heard her and blessed her, judging her as right and good.  She had fooled herself that she could do so.  It is obvious to us that this was not the case, but often we are the same way, proclaiming that God had "answered our prayer," when actually we have sought to manipulate the situation to look or feel good.  As the passage goes on to tell us, the rivalry just intensified, and Rachel's sense of worthiness and fulfillment did not come until God actually did hear and answer, and give her a son.

God Hears Children Cry

 

Genesis 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 

Hagar was crying because her son was suffering and crying.  God heard the cry of both the child and his mother.  The immediate need here was for water and God provided it. He also provided a hope and a future for this child and his mother.  How easily we forget God hears both. Let us teach our children to call out to God and let us never forget to call out to Him for them. God hears. He Cares. He acts.

Cry Out More!

 Matthew 20:29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

We have been looking at the fact that God does indeed hear us, especially when we call out to Him for help.  When Jesus was ministering on earth, we do not find a lot of verses saying: "Jesus heard them." But what we do find is Him responding because He heard. He heard their cries, their questions, and even their thoughts toward Him.  Here He hears and responds to the desperate cries of these two blind men. They were truly crying out "in the dark," hoping He could and would hear and heal them.  He did as they asked. Don't stop crying out to Him. 

The Lord Hears and Remembers

 Malachi 3:16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

This is the closing chapter of the Old Testament, charging the people of Israel with forgetting God. It would be the last they would hear from Him for quite some time.  But He was hearing them. There was, as always, a remnant of those who fear God. He would remember them.  Jesus used the same promise in Luke 12, where He was also giving warnings and made a distinction between those who trusted in Him and those who rejected Him. God would remember the one who trusts in Him but not remember the ones who rejected Him.  God hears and remembers and acts at the right moment. He is not forgetful like us. 

No Dead Spots!

 

Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 

2 saying,
“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas,
    and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows passed over me.
4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight;
yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’

Almost everyone can remember the cell phone carrier commercial with the repeated phrase: "Can you hear me now?" There are some places which are so remote or inside certain kinds of structures, or in between cell towers, that there is no reception.  There is no place from which God cannot hear the prayer of one Who cries out to Him.  Even rebellious prophets like Jonah.  We like to pick on him, but we are no better. But we also can expect the same response he had when he called out to God. God heard and He acted.  Communication was restored and God was glorified.  God's receptivity is just as good and faithful today.

Because God Has Heard...

 Lamentations 3:55 “I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit; 
56 you heard my plea, ‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!’
57 You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’
58 “You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.
59 You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord; judge my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance, all their plots against me.
61 “You have heard their taunts, O Lord, all their plots against me.

64 “You will repay them, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.

65 You will give them dullness of heart; your curse will be upon them.

66 You will pursue them in anger and destroy them

    from under your heavens, O Lord.”

We looked yesterday at the promise God gave through Jeremiah that He would hear the people when they finally came to repentance and claimed Him as "the Lord, Our God."  Here we find Jeremiah's lament after giving his whole series of calls to repent, finding Jerusalem leveled, most of his peers dead or taken away, leaving him to look upon all the devastation.  Even in that hour he could say: you heard my plea and came to my rescue. He could also leave vengeance in God's hands. He had done all he could to call them to repentance, but they resisted him on every side.  Jeremiah refused to fall into bitterness, allowing God to do what needed to be done both in his next step and those who had mocked him.

The Discussion Starter

 

Jeremiah 31:15 Thus says the Lord:
“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”
16 Thus says the Lord:
“Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears,
for there is a reward for your work, declares the Lord,
    and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
17 There is hope for your future, declares the Lord,
    and your children shall come back to their own country.
18 I have heard Ephraim grieving,
‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined,
    like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored,
    for you are the Lord my God.

The end of this chapter is well-known for the announcement of The New Covenant. But before we get there we have this discussion on what must happen first.  God tells His people what must be said before this new hope is announced. He gives us the discussion starter that we know He will hear and answer. After years of exile they will call out and say: "I was wrong; please restore me; you are the Lord my God."

Keep the Conversation Going...

 

Psalm 116:1 I love the Lord, because he has heard
    my voice and my pleas for mercy.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
    I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

As much as we talk about loving God, this is the only time in scripture we find this statement: "I love the Lord."  It is found the in context of God answering prayer.  The psalmist knows he is loved by God and commits himself to continue talking with God all life through.  The psalm proceeds to talk about this abiding love between the psalmist and the Lord, even seeing death as a precious event they will share. There is nothing that will destroy his trust.  What do you mean when you say: "I love the Lord?"

The God Who Hears Can

 

Psalm 78:17 Yet they sinned still more against him,
    rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They tested God in their heart
    by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God, saying,
    “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 He struck the rock so that water gushed out
    and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
    or provide meat for his people?”

Psalm 78 is a retelling of the story of God leading His people out of bondage, through the wilderness, and into the promised land.  The intention was to give a singing history for the next generation, to pass on the lessons they should have learned.  The big lesson is that God hears and He can: He is more than able to free His people, and provide water and food for them, as well as the victories over His enemies.  Does the next generation hear us talking about God this way? - That He hears when we pray: He provides what we need; He cares for us and do what it takes?