Romans 4:18-25 | Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants – Psalm 85:8
The funhouse mirror at the amusement park grabbed my attention. I stopped to peer and move into various positions, laughing at my widely distorted appearance. In contrast, distorted, self-defeating, and sometimes self-destructive definitions and expressions of ourselves in real life can occur when we miss looking to God. Wrong beliefs undermine our peace, stability, and the hope of our personal mission and calling.
The author of Psalm 85 understood the seriousness of communing with God. After recounting the Lord’s faithfulness and asking Him to show up yet again, the psalmist vows to do something we can all learn from. He says he will listen. He will wait on God to speak. For those willing to pay attention, God’s voice can be discerned in the Bible through the spoken or written words of fellow believers, through God’s creation, and through circumstances. He pursues our hearts so intimately that we should be amazed at all the ways our loving Father tries to get our attention. He speaks to our heart and mind through His indwelling Spirit. He communicates specifically to each of His children.
Hindrances that interfere with God’s messages to us include the busyness and noisiness of life. Distractions can make God’s quiet voice nearly undetectable. Let’s set aside time today to really listen and wait for Him to remove our doubts. He is able to provide liberating peace. —Jamal Morris.
What distractions often make it harder for you to hear God speaking?
Father, help me to be patient enough to hear from You no matter how You may be speaking.