Not long ago, my wife and I were on a short road trip with some friends when one asked to use my smart phone to view an online video of a product she was reading about in a magazine. So, I handed her the phone and we all anxiously waited while the video was loading. Once it launched, the quality wasn't that great and the video intermittently cut in and out while the next portions of the video were being loaded. It was a little frustrating, but then I thought, "Two years ago, we wouldn't have even been able to make a cellular phone call where we're driving, and now we're trying to connect to the internet and stream a video while driving 60 mph down the highway in the middle of nowhere?!" It put things into perspective for a moment. It made me think of the Verizon guy that's constantly asking, "Can you hear me now? ...Good!"
When I read through 1 Samuel 3:1-10, I can't help but imagine God asking young Samuel, "Can you hear me now?" And then, immediately, I wonder, "Would I recognize the voice of God if he spoke to me?" I understand that in those days the word of the Lord was rare, and that there weren't many visions, but how is that different than most people's experiences today? Even most church experiences? I know that Samuel did not yet know the Lord; that the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The question remains: Do you know the Lord? Do you recognize His voice? How can you be sure?
There’s a couple of things you can do to better your reception when it comes to hearing God’s voice:
First, pray Psalm 139:23-24. “Search me, O God.” Let God put you through any test that would reveal hidden sin. If that test reveals anything offensive in you, you must admit it, give it up, turn from it and submit to God.
Second, evaluate your present situation. Take a look at Colossians 3:17. In everything you say, do, think, or enjoy, you must ask the following: Can it be done for God’s glory and honor? Can it be done “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (with a complete awareness of who He is, all He stands for and that you are to represent Him), and could you ask His blessing and approval for the activity? Can it be done while sincerely giving thanks to God? Is it a Christ-like action? Would Jesus do it? Could it cause another Christian to compromise his or her devotion to Christ? Will it strengthen or weaken my desire for spiritual things, God’s Word and prayer? Could it weaken or hinder my influence for Christ on others who do not know him or who may look to me as an example of Christ-like behavior?
Finally, be still and listen. Check out Psalm 46:10. You have to get to a point of saying, “Enough is enough!” You have to stop and let go of the things that are holding you back. You have to quit holding on to things that may be distracting or weighing you down spiritually – things that keep you from honoring God and giving him his proper place in your life. Then, when God speaks, you’ll be able to answer, “speak, for your servant is listening.”
My family loves geocaching! If you haven't heard of it, geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache's existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS device can then try to locate the geocache. Tons of fun!
As much as we enjoy following the direction of our GPS receiver, we realize that finding the treasure we're looking for would be a lot easier if we had a guide. Someone who had been there before, knew exactly what we were looking for and how to find it. When it comes to geocaching, that may be less fun, but it would be easier! It's not unlike when you travel to a new city, and rent a car and follow a map or a GPS. It's not as easy to navigate as it would be if someone local picked you up from the airport and drove you to your destination; someone that had been there before, knew exactly what they were looking for and how to find it.
What are you following? Are you trying to navigate through life by following signs left by others or are you following Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit? Are you asking for signs to follow yourself or are you leaving signs for others to follow? As many "signs and wonders" as the disciples witnessed Jesus performing, when they asked Him to teach them something, they didn't ask for instruction about performing the signs. They didn't ask how to turn water into wine, or how to heal a man born blind, or how to raise the dead. They asked Jesus how to pray! (See Luke 11:1-13) They seemed to understand that it wasn't about the signs, it was about the Savior.
Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing. Mark 16:17 indicates that signs will follow those who believe. John 11:40 says, "Then Jesus said, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?'" Take a moment to pray today that God would teach us to leave signs that others may follow instead of asking for signs that we may follow. (See Acts 8:5-8; 1 Corinthians 11:1; John 4:48-53)
In the news this week, football coach Urban Meyer, University of Florida, retired after the Gators' 37-24 win over Penn State in the 2011 Outback Bowl on January 1, 2011. No big deal, right? Head coaches retire all the time! Height of their career, moderate, but winning season, 100+ career wins in relatively short order.
Nothing extraordinary here, or is there? Afterall, he's walking away from a lot! Meyer signed a six-year, $24 million extension in 2009, meaning he's walking away from about $20 million in guaranteed salary! Why? To spend more time with his family; to focus on being a better husband and father!
"At the end of the day, I'm very convinced that you're going to be judged on how you are as a husband and as a father and not on how many bowl games we won," Meyer said at a campus news conference. "I've not seen my two girls play high school sports. They're both very talented Division I-A volleyball players, so I missed those four years. I missed two already with one away at college. I can't get that time back."
What kind of regrets are you living with? What's currently keeping you from doing something more important with your life? What matters most must never be at the mercy of what matters least! We give a lot of lip service to trusting God, and doing whatever He wants, and following Him to the ends of the earth, but do are actions really match our words? Do our actions serve to illustrate what's really important to us?
I'm sure there are a lot of people giving Coach Meyer a hard time about quitting his job to focus on his family. I'm sure that there are a lot of people that believe he's being unwise. In my opinion, he's doing an honorable thing. 1 Peter 2:12 says, "Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world." Take a moment and pray today that God will teach you to harmonize your words and your actions.
