Did You Hear That?

M

y mother has always been an early riser.  In fact, morning is her favorite time of day and rarely does anyone wake up before she does.  As a child, I remember hearing her in the kitchen, preparing breakfast and singing.  My mother's voice always made me feel safe and secure.  I can still hear her singing in the morning even though I now live over 1000 miles away!

Early one Saturday morning when I was about 10 years old, I had a very peculiar experience. As usual, mom was already awake when I got out of bed.  She had already begun her faithful task of preparing breakfast, working diligently to have it ready when the rest of us woke up.  The odd thing about this particular morning was I couldn't find mom anywhere in the house.  She wasn't in the kitchen, she wasn't in the back hall doing laundry, she wasn't outside, I checked all those places.  I wouldn't have thought anything about her absence had I not been able to hear her singing. 

This completely baffled me. Although I could hear her voice, there was no physical evidence of her presence in the house.  I frantically searched every room but couldn't find her anywhere.  Finally, I woke my dad and asked him to tell me where she was.  He had no idea of her whereabouts and insisted I look one more time. Once again, I conducted a thorough search of the house. I returned to find him asleep again and when I woke him the second time, he told me to calm down, listen carefully, and then follow the sound of her voice.

I took his advice and found mom!  She was in our basement preparing breakfast.  Our house had a full basement with a kitchen that we used during the summer months.  Summers in North Carolina are hot and humid but the basement was nice and cool.  However, since we had only used the kitchen a few times, it hadn't entered my mind that she'd be down there.  Nevertheless, my dad was right and when I calmed down, listened for her voice, and followed it, I was able to find her and eventually get breakfast.

The Old Testament book of 1 Samuel tells the story of Samuel, a young man who had a similar experience with God.  The first three chapters tell how his mother, Hannah, who was childless, prayed to God for a son.  She promised God she would dedicate him to His service if He would grant her this request.  God did allow Hannah to have a son and she kept the promise she made to God and took Samuel to the temple so he could serve the Lord.

Chapter 3 tells how Samuel served God in the temple and records the story of God's call upon his life.  While Samuel was sleeping, God came and called to him.  Samuel mistook God's voice for that of Eli, the prophet.  Three times God came and called him and three times Samuel went to Eli, believing the prophet had called him.  Finally, Eli realized God was calling Samuel and instructed the boy to answer the Lord and make himself available to him.

In 1 Samuel 3:7, we read the following statement concerning Samuel: "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him."  This is a very interesting passage and relates a great truth to which we all can relate.  Notice the Scriptures tell us that Samuel did not know the Lord and that God hadn't revealed his word to him.  This doesn't seem to be a very impressive statement until you realize its context.  Samuel had served the Lord since he was a small boy.  He slept near the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies.  He was that close to God, performing the necessary tasks of a priest but he did not yet know the Lord! (verse 7).         

On three occasions he mistook God's voice, not recognizing its source nor knowing how to answer it.  Frantically he ran to Eli, convinced the prophet had called him.  This is so typical of us.  We are so concerned about working for God that we very seldom ever listen to him.  So often we mistake God's voice for something else.  He continually calls us, wanting to relate to us, to speak with us, to share an important message with us.  However, we look elsewhere to discover the source of the voice we hear.   We will never discover God's message to us until we seek it from him.  Although there may be no physical evidence of his presence, his voice still calls us and invites us to commune with him.

That morning many years ago, I believe I understood what Samuel must have felt.  I heard my mom's voice, I knew she was somewhere in the house, but because I was unsure about her whereabouts, I couldn't concentrate on her location.  In a similar way, I have learned that in order to hear God's voice, I have to be still.  I have to listen and be available to him.  When he speaks to me, I must quiet myself and listen to his voice.  Only by placing myself in his presence can I fully hope to hear him, to speak to him, to commune with him.

Today as you go about your daily routine, take time to stop and listen for God's voice.  If you quiet yourself and open your heart you will hear him.  When he calls you, say with Samuel, "Speak Lord for your servant is listening!"

Did You Hear That?

M

y mother has always been an early riser.  In fact, morning is her favorite time of day and rarely does anyone wake up before she does.  As a child, I remember hearing her in the kitchen, preparing breakfast and singing.  My mother's voice always made me feel safe and secure.  I can still hear her singing in the morning even though I now live over 1000 miles away!

Early one Saturday morning when I was about 10 years old, I had a very peculiar experience. As usual, mom was already awake when I got out of bed.  She had already begun her faithful task of preparing breakfast, working diligently to have it ready when the rest of us woke up.  The odd thing about this particular morning was I couldn't find mom anywhere in the house.  She wasn't in the kitchen, she wasn't in the back hall doing laundry, she wasn't outside, I checked all those places.  I wouldn't have thought anything about her absence had I not been able to hear her singing. 

This completely baffled me. Although I could hear her voice, there was no physical evidence of her presence in the house.  I frantically searched every room but couldn't find her anywhere.  Finally, I woke my dad and asked him to tell me where she was.  He had no idea of her whereabouts and insisted I look one more time. Once again, I conducted a thorough search of the house. I returned to find him asleep again and when I woke him the second time, he told me to calm down, listen carefully, and then follow the sound of her voice.

I took his advice and found mom!  She was in our basement preparing breakfast.  Our house had a full basement with a kitchen that we used during the summer months.  Summers in North Carolina are hot and humid but the basement was nice and cool.  However, since we had only used the kitchen a few times, it hadn't entered my mind that she'd be down there.  Nevertheless, my dad was right and when I calmed down, listened for her voice, and followed it, I was able to find her and eventually get breakfast.

The Old Testament book of 1 Samuel tells the story of Samuel, a young man who had a similar experience with God.  The first three chapters tell how his mother, Hannah, who was childless, prayed to God for a son.  She promised God she would dedicate him to His service if He would grant her this request.  God did allow Hannah to have a son and she kept the promise she made to God and took Samuel to the temple so he could serve the Lord.

Chapter 3 tells how Samuel served God in the temple and records the story of God's call upon his life.  While Samuel was sleeping, God came and called to him.  Samuel mistook God's voice for that of Eli, the prophet.  Three times God came and called him and three times Samuel went to Eli, believing the prophet had called him.  Finally, Eli realized God was calling Samuel and instructed the boy to answer the Lord and make himself available to him.

In 1 Samuel 3:7, we read the following statement concerning Samuel: "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him."  This is a very interesting passage and relates a great truth to which we all can relate.  Notice the Scriptures tell us that Samuel did not know the Lord and that God hadn't revealed his word to him.  This doesn't seem to be a very impressive statement until you realize its context.  Samuel had served the Lord since he was a small boy.  He slept near the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies.  He was that close to God, performing the necessary tasks of a priest but he did not yet know the Lord! (verse 7).         

On three occasions he mistook God's voice, not recognizing its source nor knowing how to answer it.  Frantically he ran to Eli, convinced the prophet had called him.  This is so typical of us.  We are so concerned about working for God that we very seldom ever listen to him.  So often we mistake God's voice for something else.  He continually calls us, wanting to relate to us, to speak with us, to share an important message with us.  However, we look elsewhere to discover the source of the voice we hear.   We will never discover God's message to us until we seek it from him.  Although there may be no physical evidence of his presence, his voice still calls us and invites us to commune with him.

That morning many years ago, I believe I understood what Samuel must have felt.  I heard my mom's voice, I knew she was somewhere in the house, but because I was unsure about her whereabouts, I couldn't concentrate on her location.  In a similar way, I have learned that in order to hear God's voice, I have to be still.  I have to listen and be available to him.  When he speaks to me, I must quiet myself and listen to his voice.  Only by placing myself in his presence can I fully hope to hear him, to speak to him, to commune with him.

Today as you go about your daily routine, take time to stop and listen for God's voice.  If you quiet yourself and open your heart you will hear him.  When he calls you, say with Samuel, "Speak Lord for your servant is listening!"

Do You Know Who This Is?

O

ne morning I returned home to find a message on my answering machine.  After putting my books down and arranging a few items on my desk, I turned my full attention to the blinking light of the answering machine.  There were a few new messages left for me while I was in class.  I listened to each message, discarding the ones from car salesmen, credit card companies offering me new cards with outlandish limits at obscene interest rates, and one from a company wanting to sell me vinyl replacement windows.  Since I lived in the men's dormitory at Southwestern Seminary, I didn't figure they'd appreciate me authorizing the replacement of the dorm's windows with vinyl ones, no matter how energy efficient they were.  Finally, I came to the last message.  It only took one initial sound to tell me that my father left the message.  The message began, "Blake, this is daddy..." He always begins his messages this way, although I know the sound of his voice from the first utterance.

It is amazing how we recognize the voices of those dear to us.  We can differentiate the sound of their particular voices even when we are surrounded other people.  Who hasn't received a phone call and known within seconds the person on the other end of the line just by the sound of his or her voice? 

Jesus taught this same lesson to his disciples.  John's gospel paints different pictures of Jesus but none so loving and endearing as the portrait of the Good Shepherd.  Jesus referred to himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10 and spoke of his relationship with his sheep.  In John 10:2-5, Jesus describes this relationship in the following manner: "For a shepherd enters through the gate. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t recognize his voice.”

This scripture shows just how intimately Jesus knows his own.  It is well known that sheep respond only to the voice of their shepherd.  He is the one who feeds them, who guides them, who protects them, who cares for them, and who loves them.  They will not respond to a stranger, but will only do the bidding of their shepherd.  We, as God's children and followers of Jesus Christ, are like sheep.  We hear his voice and we must follow him.  It is Jesus who cares for us, who protects us, who guides us, and who loves us. 

Not only do we know him but he knows us.  The shepherd knows every intimate detail about each of his sheep.  He understands, loves, accepts, and nurtures each individual sheep.  His voice is distinct, clearly discernible above the noise of the world.  He calls us to quiet pastures, to still waters, and to rest.  He never sends us out on our own, but always goes ahead of us, so that every situation we experience, he has encountered before us and is with us in every trial and joy.  The prophet Isaiah expressed this beautifully when he wrote, "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left" (Isaiah 30:21).

               How is your relationship; with God today? If he speaks and asks the question, "Do you know who this is?” will you be able to immediately recognize his voice?  I trust you can!

Start Your Engine

T

his morning I already have items that will require my attention at various points during the day. My calendar has appointments beginning just after I arrive in the office.  I also have some reports to review, a meeting to attend, some phone calls to make, and, no doubt, there will be plenty of e-mail to answer. My day is already full and I haven’t even left the house yet!  Does this sound familiar to you?  Some days just seemed to be filled with more responsibilities than others and before they get started, they are over.  That’s just the way it is.

The interesting part is this, all these activities represent a mere fraction of what today holds.  The items listed above are the things I have on my calendar; I have no idea what God has on His for today but I’m sure that I will find out before this day is over.  My car, sitting quietly in the garage, is waiting for me to jump in and start its engine.  I will point it in one direction but who knows, there may be several places it takes me that are simply not considerations at this moment. 

There is a story in the New Testament book of Acts that expresses this very idea.  Philip started his day heading in a southerly direction.  Before the day was over, however, he had made a new friend, ridden in a chariot, taught a Bible lesson, and had gone swimming.  None of these things were on his “to do” list for the day but the list was amended as the day progressed.

Let’s take a brief look at Philip’s day and see how events unfolded after he started his engine. Acts 8:27 simply says, “So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship"

At first glance this passage seems to be just a simple explanation of a routine journey from one place to another.  On the surface we know that Philip began his journey and met a man from Ethiopia who held an important position in the government.  We also learn that at this time Candace was queen of the Ethiopians and that the man’s purpose for being in Jerusalem was to worship.  But if that is all we see in this verse, we need to have our eyes examined.  There is so much more, a great lesson which centers around just two little phrases, “he started out” and “on his way.”

Just before today’s passage, Philip received instructions form an angel that he was to journey south.  So Philip started his journey. This is the most important point in today’s lesson.  So often we receive a clear directive from the Lord.  We know what we are to do, we are certain of where we need to go, and we become aware of the next step we are to take.  So often, however, we fail to start out, never quite getting on the road. Things creep in, other appointments clog our schedules and we find ourselves at the end of the day in the same place we occupied at the beginning.  Although we “did” a lot of things, we made no forward progress in our walk with the Lord.

But starting out was only the first part of the journey.  Philip started the engine and traveled in the indicated direction but there was an unforeseen stop along the way.  Actually, this is what the Lord had planned for Philip all along but Philip wasn’t aware of it until he heard the Ethiopian man reading from the book of Isaiah.  The angel told him to go to the man and when Philip did, he had an opportunity to explain the Scriptures and share the gospel with him.  None of this would have been possible had Philip not started his engine. 

A

nd where are you headed today, my friend?  Have you started your engine?  Are you ready to start out, heading in the direction God has for you today?  Who knows what situations await you or whose life you may touch today.  Whatever you do and wherever you are, I pray that God will use you to touch those around you.  Don’t be surprised if you make several “unforeseen stops” along the way.  That is the blessing of the journey and the wonderful privilege of serving Jesus Christ.  Have you started your engine today?

5 Seconds Every 10 Seconds

W

hat kind of title is this for a Tidbit?  You’re probably asking yourself this question as you are reading today’s devotional.  You’re probably wondering also if I’ve lost all touch with reality or if my ability to select titles has fallen by the wayside.  Well, I was just as shocked by the title when I selected this topic as you were when you first saw it.  But if you continue reading, I think you’ll understand exactly what this title has to do with the way we maintain our relationship to God.

One afternoon I was faced with the dilemma of what to have for lunch.  I wasn’t in the mood for a sandwich, I didn’t’ feel like hauling out the pots and pans for a four course meal, and the prospect of cleaning up a load of dishes wasn’t going to be the highlight of my day.  So as I closed the pantry door and walked over to the refrigerator, I decided to look in the freezer to se what delectable morsels might be hiding there.  Inside, I found several kinds of frozen meats, some frozen vegetables, some cheese, and butter that I keep for those times when the mood to bake strikes me.  I didn’t really see anything appealing until I started closing the door.  Right beside a bag of frozen peas sat two servings of spaghetti casserole I made a few weeks prior.

That was the ticket!  I pulled one of the servings out, removed it from its vacuum-sealed container, put it into a large bowl, popped it into the microwave, and proceeded to program the oven.  I decided to use the defrost setting to thaw the casserole before it actually cooked.  I programmed the microwave to defrost for six minutes and then to cook for another three. 

As soon as the oven began running this program, I noticed something very interesting.  At even intervals, the oven made a low-pitched noise which lasted only a few seconds.  The noise would then stop for another interval, somewhat longer than the first, and the low-pitched sound would begin again.

Intrigued and having nothing better to do while I waited on lunch, I decided to see if there was any method in the madness.  Low and behold there was!  The low-pitched noise lasted for exactly five seconds while the oven’s regular sound lasted for ten seconds.  The low-pitched sound, I surmised was the time when the oven was actually bombarding the casserole with microwaves, slowly defrosting the spaghetti dish.  The oven didn’t hit the pasta all at once but gradually bombarded it over time.  The effects were very visible as the spaghetti dish changed from a block of ice to a nice serving for my lunch.  I watched as the spaghetti softened and finally slid into the bowl, taking on its shape. 

The spaghetti was completely defrosted at the end of the six minutes.  That’s when the remaining portion of the program kicked in and the casserole cooked on high for the next three minutes.  The oven bombarded the dish with a constant stream of microwaves, heating the casserole to the proper temperature in only half the time required to defrost it.  When it was over, I pulled the bowl out of the microwave and had lunch.  What started out cold, hard, and inedible, was now piping hot and ready for my mouth!

So what does all of this have to do with a small verse from Exodus 8?  Plenty!  Let’s take a look at Exodus 8:15 and get a real feel for what is being said in this small verse, “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.”  That’s right, we find ourselves in Egypt, in Pharaoh’s throne room right after the plague of flies.  As long as the flies were in the land, Pharaoh’s heart was softened, but as soon as they left, it became hard again.  Please notice that it is Pharaoh, himself, who causes this to happen.

Pharaoh and his kingdom were bombarded with ten different plagues.  After each one, Pharaoh had an opportunity to release the Israelites.  Just like the defrosting cycle of the microwave, he was hit for a brief period of time and then the pressure was removed.  During the plagues, Pharaoh’s heart grew soft, just like that spaghetti.  However, when the plague passed, his heart grew hard and stubborn once again.  For every opportunity he had to obey the Lord, Pharaoh chose not to.  In the end, his heart was hard, cold, and unchanging.  Like the pasta I removed form the microwave, Pharaoh’s heart was totally changed and in a different form.

The spaghetti, however, went from cold to hot. Pharaoh, however, went from warm to frozen solid. 

Our walk with the Lord can be much the same way.  It is so easy to get away from our daily walk with Him.  We are so easily lured off the path by things that bombard us in such a slight way that we barely notice them.  Slowly but surely, we become changed by the world around us until we find ourselves and our relationships with God drastically changed.  Five seconds here and five seconds there, interspersed with ten-second intervals can do a lot of damage if we don’t keep a diligent watch on our walk with God.

I am not writing this to suggest we can lose our salvation or that we can take ourselves out of God’s hand.  The Scriptures, I believe, teach just the opposite. However, we can wonder away from God to such an extent that we become numb to His warming presence in our lives.  The writer of Psalm 95: 8-11 reminds his readers of this very fact, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways." So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."

T

oday as you hear God’s voice calling you, please hearken to it.  Do not harden your heart or turn away from Him.  Don’t’ let five seconds of the world’s bombardment affect your relationship with God.  Remember five seconds every ten seconds will eventually cook your goose!  Have a great day in the Lord today!

Bob White

B

ehind Shady Grove Baptist Church, just south of my hometown of Cherryville, NC there is a large tract of land.  When I was a small boy, my great uncle, Stowe Carpenter, owned the land and let my dad use it to plant a garden.  Uncle Stowe eventually sold the land but every time I pass by Shady Grove Baptist Church, I remember that garden and the wonderful lesson I learned there about a type of bird called a Bob White!

Daddy had an old dump truck that we affectionately called the “Bump Bump Truck” due to the incredibly smooth (I’m kidding here) ride it gave.  Actually, the truck jostled you to and fro and you felt as if you had been involved in a boxing match rather than taking a leisurely ride in the country.  We would take the Bump Bump Truck out to the garden, hitting every pot hole and bump in the long dirt road that led to it.  Once there, daddy unloaded whatever tools he needed to tend to the garden and I watched and played at the edge of the wooded lot that surrounded us.

Now, when you’re five or six years old, there’s not much you can do in a garden and there’s not much to capture and hold your attention.  I soon grew tired of throwing dirt clods, kicking sticks, and chasing butterflies.  But one thing I never grew tired of was the chirping of birds in the surrounding trees.  They were everywhere and their voices blended like the instruments of a finely tuned orchestra. 

Of all the different bird songs I heard that day, there was one that was very distinct.  Instead of a song, this bird’s chirp sounded more like someone’s name.  My dad told me the bird was called a Bob White and that if I listened carefully I would hear another Bob White answer the call.  Sure enough, after a few seconds another Bob White, a few hundred yards deeper in the woods, answered back with its own call.  I was mesmerized as I stood and listened to these two birds answer each other. 

My dad joined in the conversation with a whistle that sounded like the Bob White’s call.  Soon the birds were answering him and moving ever closer to where we were.  He taught me to make the bird call and pretty soon, they were answering me!!  However, if the call changed or if I made a different sound, the birds would not answer and would fly away. The Bob White would only respond to one of its own kind; never to a strange call.

Jesus makes this same point in reference to those who follow him.  Jesus speaks of himself as the good shepherd who cares for his sheep.  He makes a distinction between the shepherd and the hired man whose only concern for the sheep is based on the salary he receives from tending them.  But the sheep don’t belong to the hired man and they do not listen to him. 

Sheep respond only to the voice of their particular shepherd and they will not follow another.  If several flocks of sheep are banded together, the shepherd can always find his sheep because they will respond only to his voice. There is a relationship between the shepherd and the sheep that is unique and special.  The sheep look to the shepherd for everything they need.  He feeds them, he waters them, he tends to their wounds, he gives them rest, he protects them from predators, and he searches for them when they are lost. The sheep know that as long as they remain with the shepherd, they are safe.  They do not worry but follow him wherever he leads them, following him anywhere, at anytime, no matter what.

In John 10:5, Jesus describes this special relationship between shepherd and sheep. “But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."  Jesus wanted his followers to understand that he was the good shepherd. It was his voice the sheep recognized. It was his hand that led them to pasture and to water.  It was he who protected them from harm and it was he who comforted and tended them when they were wounded.

O

ne afternoon, I left the apartment where I was living and heard a Bob White chirping somewhere in a tree close by.  I stopped for a few minutes to answer him and he responded.  It was a wonderful reminder of the lesson my dad taught me so many years ago.  The bird answered me because it recognized my call.  In the same way, we can be assured that God hears us when we call Him.  He knows our voices and as His children He will answer us.  We know His voice and He knows ours.  When we call He answers and when He calls we have the assurance that He takes great interest in us because we belong to Him.  Are you listening to the shepherd’s voice?  Are you walking with him today?

Two Cups of Sugar

S

weet tea doesn’t just happen; you have to add sugar!  In fact, if you’re going to make sweet tea the way we drink it in North Carolina you have to add a lot of sugar.  The ingredients for acceptable sweet tea are very simple, tea, water, and sugar.  Three family-sized tea bags, one gallon of water, and two cups of sugar render a concoction I love to refer to as nourishing refreshment.

There is simply nothing better on a hot summer’s day than a tall glass of sweet ice tea.  Say what you will, wrinkle your noses at it if you must, but there are people in my hometown who will fight you tooth and nail concerning the prospects of whether you should drink your tea sweetened or unsweetened.  As a matter of fact, if you want unsweetened tea in North Carolina you’d better request it or the tea will be sweet every time.  There simply is no other way to drink it!

I take great pleasure in knowing there is a biblical basis for sweetened beverages!  What?  I know you’re thinking I’ve lost my mind or that I am walking a line that teeters on blasphemy, but honestly, the Scriptures do demonstrate that God sweetened the water in the desert as the Israelites made their way to the Promised Land.  Let’s take a quick peek into the book of Exodus as we find the people not far outside the land of Egypt, asking Moses for something to drink.

In Exodus 15:24-26 we find the following account: “So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" Then Moses cried out to the LORD , and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them.  He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD , who heals you."

There are a few interesting things we must notice in this passage today.  First, the people were grumbling.  Not far out of Egypt they started complaining and they continued this trend all the way to the Promised Land.  Isn’t it funny that we spend more time complaining instead of praising and thanking God?  Isn’t it amazing how we focus on the negative things in life and totally discount the positive sign of God’s working in our lives?  The Children of Israel were no different.  God had not delivered them from Pharaoh only to let them die of thirst in the desert.

So God answered their cry by having Moses throw a piece of wood into water that was bitter and undrinkable.  Moses could not make the water sweet, that is drinkable, for the people but he could throw in a stick of wood.  Let us glean one of the greatest truths about God from this passage.  God will never do for us what we can do for ourselves but He will always undertake what we are incapable of doing.  As we stated above, Moses could throw the wood in but he could not make the water sweet; only God could do that.

Please find the words, “and there he tested them” in the passage.  Here is the great crux of this verse of scripture. God’s provision in our lives always brings with it a greater responsibility on our part.  After receiving drinkable water from God’s hand, the people were to be put to the test. This does not make God out to be some cruel taskmaster.  On the contrary, God wanted the people to learn that He was their provision, that He was their protection, and that He was all they needed.  The only way for them to learn this was to go through testing.

P

lease notice that the people’s test was to listen to God’s voice, to do what was right in His eyes (not their own), and they were to obey His commands and decrees.  Guess what? God expects the same of us today.  We are to listen to His voice, to do what is right in His eyes (not our own), and to obey His commands and decrees.  When we do this, we find that the bitter waters of life become sweet, no matter where we are, by a flowing stream, near a desert oasis, or standing by a stagnant pond.  When we give heed to our Lord, He always makes the waters sweet, cool, and refreshing.  When was the last time God added two cups of sugar to the water you are drinking?

Stay Where You Are

I

t all started one winter afternoon!  The weather forecasters had said that inclement winter weather was a distinct possibility and this time, at least, their predictions were right on target.  Around 2:30 in the afternoon, the skies opened up and rained down sleet.  As the ice pebbles hit against the building, all of us in the office pressed our noses against the windows, staring in amazement, mouths agape, just like thousands of school children who were no doubt doing the same thing.

The excitement from the sleet, however, soon gave way to concern about the drive home and the impending problems the ice would cause as literally thousands of people jammed the highways in order to arrive safely home before the brunt of the storm hit.  Classes were cancelled; schools and offices closed early, and people began making their way home.  My trip home from the university was uneventful and I arrived at my apartment safe and sound.

Later in the afternoon and all throughout the evening, the sleet continued to fall.  Sometimes it came down very hard, almost in sheets, and at other times it was barely noticeable. But all the while, the amount of accumulating ice continued to grow and the ground was soon covered in a blanket of white.  The next morning, I looked out and noticed that a significant amount of ice had accumulated during the night hours.  It was a beautiful view but one that was also fraught with danger.

The television news channels and the radio stations were all promoting the same warning: Stay where you are!  All of the anchormen and women repeated that message over and over, stressing the importance of remaining indoors and not braving the elements or the icy road conditions.  Although it appeared harmless, the ice was indeed deadly, causing cars, trucks, buses, etc. to lose traction and veer off the highway.  Unless absolutely necessary, everyone was urged to stay home where it was safe, dry, and warm until the icy conditions were gone.

The weather here provides a deeper understanding of a passage of scripture from the book of Isaiah.  The prophet gives us a warning which we should consider as we walk with God.  Isaiah 50:11 reads, “But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.”

There is a solemn and sober truth in this passage of scripture.  Israel was awaiting the coming of the Messiah and had in her mind the manner in which he would appear.  They believed the Messiah would overthrow Israel’s oppression and set up God’s kingdom in its place.  But the kingdom of God did not come by way of the sword but by way of the cross.  It did not come with an overthrow of a political government but with the overthrow of sin and death.  It did not come in the manner in which they thought it should so they walked by their own understanding and completely missed God’s plan for man’s salvation.

The same is true for us in our daily walk with the Lord.  When we lean on our own understanding, when we believe we know how we are to proceed, and when we fail to stay where we are when God tells us to rest, we place ourselves in great peril.  The conditions all around us tell us to stay where we are, but instead we venture forth, losing our footing, sliding off the chosen road, landing in the side ditches where we get into trouble and difficulty.  Just as God said through the prophet Isaiah, when we do things our own way instead of obeying God we always bear the consequences of our actions.

W

herever you are today in your walk with God, pay close attention to His commands.  It may be that the road ahead is covered with ice, impassable, and treacherous.  If God, who knows the way much better than you, has commanded you to stay where you are, don’t take a flashlight and strike out on your own.  Remain where you are in the safety of God’s presence until He sees fit to move you forward.  You will never be disappointed and you will never be in danger as long as you walk with Him.  Are you walking with God or ahead of Him today?

A Gentle Whisper

M

any nights I lay in my bed on Main Street and listened to the telltale signs of an approaching midnight train.  The railroad tracks were located right across the street from our home and I always knew when a train was coming. The dishes in our kitchen cabinets would begin vibrating with a low rhythmic hum.  Soon after, the panes of glass in the windows and the entire front door would join in the music, creating a feeling of harmony and security as the train grew ever closer.

Just as the engine passed our home, the engineer would pull down on the whistle, sending a sharp shrill through the air, splitting the silence that had reigned only moments before.  As the whistle disappeared into the darkness, the familiar sound of the boxcars moving along the tracks, their wheels pounding out a steady rhythm, filled the hole in the air left by the train’s whistle. At such times, all communication was impossible because the sound of the train was overwhelming.

After a few minutes, the last car passed by, the rhythmic hum of the railroad cars stopped, and the kitchen returned to its slumber.  All was still and quiet.  The silence was almost deafening but in the stillness, I heard something I hadn’t been aware of before the train’s passing.  There, in the darkness, I could hear the steady ticking of the grandmother clock in our living room.  The pendulum swung back and forth, marking the passage of the night.  As I listened, I relaxed and dozed off into a deep, peaceful sleep. Had it not been for the train, however, I would have taken little, if any notice of the ticking clock in the next room.

The prophet Elijah could identify very well with my experience.  After confronting the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and defeating them, he was running for his life.  Jezebel, the queen, had promised to treat him exactly as he had treated Baal’s prophets.  Elijah heard the sound of the oncoming train and decided to seek shelter as far away from those tracks as his feet would carry him.  As we look at our scripture today, Elijah is in hiding, worried, scared, and unsure of what the future holds.  He has just experienced a mighty move of God in his life but now it seems that all signs point to his destruction.

God, however, has something else in mind for Elijah and we need only look at a few verses from 1 Kings to understand how God works, not only in the life of Elijah, but in our lives as well.  1 Kings 19:11-13 reads, “The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD , for the LORD is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD , but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

There are three distinct things Elijah learned in this passage.  First, if we are to meet God, we must go where He calls us.  We cannot meet Him on ground of our choosing.  Elijah was told to go out and stand on the mountain, not to remain in the cave where he was.  Second, God doesn’t always appear in a flash of fire or a cloud of smoke.  Elijah experienced a strong wind, an earthquake, and a raging fire.  But each time the Scriptures tell us that God was not in these phenomena.  Instead, Elijah heard a gentle whisper (a still small voice in the King James Version) and God was in that whisper. Third, when we become aware of God’s presence, we are humbled.  Like Elijah, we need to cover ourselves, stand in God’s presence, and worship Him. 

There is so much we need to learn from this passage, especially about our Heavenly Father.  He approaches us, not with lightening, or fire, or anything else we conjure up in our minds, but with a gentle whisper.  God is always intimate with us, like a father with his child.  He loves us and cares for us and wants to make Himself known to us in a very real and intimate way.  Earthquakes, strong winds, and fires are sources of fear.  God wants us to approach Him confidently, not out of fear.  The Bible tells us plainly that we are to fear the Lord, that is to respect Him, but it never tells us to be afraid of Him. 

E

lijah learned that day that God is always near. He is as near as our breath, as near as our thoughts, and as near as the beating of our hearts.  He chooses to communicate with us, not with whistles and peals of thunder, but through the loving caress of a gentle whisper. Do you hear Him speaking to you today?