When God Speaks
We are a people led by God. We chose to be, although He is the one who called us. We follow Him willingly, and He is not a slave-driver by any means. We should listen to and obey His word spoken into our situation, if we are not to make Him look like He is unable in our affairs.
When God speaks we are to take it as He says. We don't negotiate His prescription for our well-being. The just lives by faith. The just must live by complying with what God has given as the solution to our needs.
I despair when I feel disconnected to God, when I am not sure of what is going on around me. I hate the moments I've had to lean on my understanding under the pressure of what was happening, though feeling convinced that God would have me do things differently!
The person to whom God gives a word for a situation is really better placed than anyone having all the intelligence of the world. Of what value is dissipation to one who has time for just one shot!? It is a great blessing to be spoken to by God.
If we are willing and obedient we shall eat the good of the land, we are told in Isaiah. So, we know that God has something of use in us when He speaks to us. Often, of course, we find it had to believe; so we trifle with His gesture. And we, like I have, wound our hearts with pain we could have avoided.
If anyone reading this is in any way like me, usually very restless and finding it difficult to slow down unless you crash; please, be still. Stay still, so that God can work in your affairs. Do not time God by your clock. God knows that my life is marred by my impatience. My inability to wait till He gives a green light.
Jesus is the cornerstone laid for us, as written. And if we believed in him we shall not make haste. But, how that is so contrary to the speedy time we live in now! I, myself, have been hasty on so many things in which I should have followed the pace of God. I have not fared better, notwithstanding. Making matters worse, God must now look at me with suspicion that I am unpredictable.
But, I know that my source is God. Perhaps, it is this familiarity that tricks me into presumptuousness. Things are just sometimes so slow, and I get so in need to do something, rather than wait! I must be the only Christian who is this way! May God give me more grace to overcome me. And I do need all your prayers.
Take it from one who has a first-hand knowing that you'll be better off waiting for God's word before wading into that murky situation. Don't mortgage your peace of mind, rest and time through ungodly haste. Be still. Let God speak to you. Then, do whatever He tells you to. It is a great privilege to hear from Him.
Please, don't allow your personality make-up to become an open door through which darkness will overwhelm you. It is still moving about like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour. There need not be another one telling my kind of story. I should be enough!
When Jesus walked this earth, as we too do now, there were people for whom he was a center of attraction. Every sunrise they quickly got up and hurried out after Jesus, the miracle worker. They just followed him around to see the spectacle of the day. Everywhere he went they followed in a crowd. Some, like today, might even have taken along the media of their era to document what happened. They might have had issues in their lives, but it never occurred to them to obtain solution. Jesus would always be there, they might have thought. They had gotten too familiar with him.
And so it was that fate brought Jesus along the way of two blind men on a certain day as recorded in Matthew 20:29-34. And having heard of all the wonderful works of Jesus till that day, the men determined that he was going to impact their lives too. They had not seen the wonderful works themselves. They only heard the report of them, but they longed to have it done to them too.
So they cried out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" And you know what? All the nice people, the familiar crowd who were always following Jesus shouted them down. They must have spoken to them in so many words why they were not fit to receive the attention of their great 'superstar', Jesus; very much like the way security men codon people away from the pastors and priests of today. The crowd must have told them they were unsociable, destitute, unkempt, unrighteous, beggarly, security risk etc. They might have indeed been all of these, but thanks to God, they could not see to know and possibly be downcast by that awareness.
They cried out the more instead, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David"
Jesus stopped and called them, saying, "What do you want me to do for you?"
My goodness! Is anything ever easy in this life? Jesus could see that they were blind, right? Of course, they needed their sight.
Why then did Jesus ask what they wanted of him? Well, lets consider our world today for a minute. Someone blind in our world today meeting Jesus might ask him for wealth. He would rationalise that with the wealth he could pay for the cure or all needed aids to make him live comfortably without sight.
Jesus had to know from them what they really wanted. Did they just want alms or any other thing?
'They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened."
Indeed, Lord, let our eyes be opened in this world. Many have sight but do not see. The eyes of our intellect, the eyes of our spirit, the eyes to see and understand the times. Lord, please let our eyes be opened that we may see the truth of what is going on in our days and that we might live with wisdom.
'And Jesus in pity touched their eyes and immediately they received their sight and followed him.'
Lord, have pity on us too. We think we see, but we are really blinder than the physically blind. We do not know the times nor the seasons. Let our eyes be opened that we may see as we ought to that we may walk as we should, Lord. We thank you Lord.
