Can You Hear Me Now?

Scripture:

Numbers 7:89 Whenever Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with the Lord , he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant.s The Lord spoke to him from there.

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

Acts 27:20 The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.

Observations:

• Moses Spoke with God!
• Knowing that God is our shepherd – then we know we have everything we need!
• It’s easy to lose hope when we lose the light – natural light, spiritual light, and the enlightenment that comes from knowing the future (which none of us really has).

Applications:

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

We sing the words to this old hymn, but do we really believe that God speaks with us – that He talks to “ME” personally?  I don’t believe that we do.  Whenever I speak of God “talking” to us, we usually follow it with a quick footnote: “well, He didn’t really speak to me – I mean, I didn’t hear an audible voice or anything…“  And then we go on with our story.

Why are we so afraid of admitting that we heard God’s voice?  Audible or not – we were created to converse with God.  He created us for our companionship, conversation, and communion.  Why is that bad?

As I was reading Numbers 7, I was taken by the statement in verse 89.  Of course Moses would want to share with others what occured behind that veil.  If you were in their conversing with God, you’d be excited to share it also.  You’d want to tell everyone you knew.

I’ve had a few God moments in my lifetime.  If I stop for a moment, and let my mind recall, I can remember where I was, what I was doing, and what He said.  It wasn’t always an audible voice, but it was just as real.  Sometimes it was nothing more than an impression.  Sometimes, I heard my name – and that’s all.  Other times, though it wasn’t audible, it was as if I heard every word.  Each experience is burned into my brain – as real as what I’m doing right now – but less than 10 times.

Twice I was awoken from a sound sleep by the calling of my name.  It was soft, gentle, and confident.  Almost as if my Mom waking me up to go to school.  Both times it was very early in the morning and I awoke with a start – expecting to see someone standing next to my bed. I didn’t know why He woke me up – and to be honest, it was kind of scary.  I wondered if something big was going to happen that day.

Of course, I know now that Jesus missed me and wanted to spend time with me.  At the time, I was confused.  I was still under the impression that spending time with God was like recharging a battery.  If I tried to go through life without my battery charged, I would run dry and crash.  Most of the time I tried to keep the battery charged just enough to make it through the day – often with no reserve.  I now know that it isn’t like that at all.  It’s a relationship.

My God – the Creator of the Universe – wanted to spend time with me.  He took time away from keeping the planets in motion, trying to bring peace to the world, and now just wanted to talk.  I’ve come to believe He often has this craving.

Other times, I’ve “heard” God’s clear voice giving me direction.  Was it audible?  To be honest…  it doesn’t matter.  I don’t think it was – but I can clearly say it was more real than audible.  He spoke directly into my soul.  There was no mistaking His clear voice.

A few times, God spoke to me through epiphanies, impressions, and other people.  Again – very clearly.

One time, about two or three o’clock in the morning, I was on top of Council Crest.  It was a clear, Fall night, and the wind was blowing.  I hadn’t spoken with God in years.  Actually, I’d given up hope that He existed or cared about me.  I was in a fairly desperate state.  I’d forgotten that He is my shepherd.  “All hope was gone.“

That’s when I heard it.  I will never forget the moment.  It was as if a piece of glass had fallen on the concrete.  It was a small tinkling sound.  As soon as I heard it, I knew it was a supernatural experience.  I had doubts – which is why I went to the spot and looked for the cause.  On my hands and knees I looked for a piece of glass, or metal, that could have blown in the wind and caused the noise.  There was nothing there – except a presence.

It was a peaceful, hopeful, and confident presence.  I didn’t see anything – but immediately, I was filled with peace and hope.  Something happened that night – but I can’t explain it.  I will never forget it.

Moses did speak with God.  The text doesn’t say that God spoke to Moses – which is how we often hear it in our minds.  It doesn’t say that Moses spoke to God – which is what prayer is.  It says God spoke with Moses – an interactive conversational experience.

We don’t need to be afraid of hearing God’s voice.  And we don’t need to be ashamed of the experience.  Moses could tell you the exact spot where he heard God’s voice – as if that is exactly where God was sitting.  If we were to go up to Council Crest Park, I could show you the exact spot where I heard the tinkling.

Where were you the first time you heard God’s voice?

Prayer:

Father God – thank you for speaking to me.  Thank you for getting the message through, no matter how hard I try to blur it, obfuscate it, or block it.  Thank you for being persistently crazy about spending time with me.

I love you too!