24/7

Isaiah 40: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

I love this verse.

Sometimes we need to ask ourselves these two questions: Say, don’t you know, haven’t you heard?

Of course, we know.  We know that God is everlasting, he’s our Creator, and therefore…he never grows weary or tired, and…we cannot even comprehend his understanding!

However, we forget.

When in the middle of a crisis, or in the duration of a prolonged illness, we think God doesn’t know, and that he has somehow grown tired of our cries, and doesn’t understand our need.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

It’s easy to forget, to lose sight, and to close our ears to hear one more truth, because we’ve traded the truth for the lies. 

Our God, the one who created us, is amazingly merciful, caring, and understanding, even when we don’t see it.  In fact, in the times when we forget is when we must not lean on our own understanding - because our understanding is limited, finite, and minimal.

Go ahead and answer.  “Yes, I know!”

Then rest in the truth that He's awake 24/7 watching over you.

Here am I

Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Wow.

We’ve been talking about hearing God’s voice, realizing that he loves us, knowing that he’s a good Father, and simply obeying his words that we hear, and walking in the paths before us.

In this verse, the Lord’s voice is heard loudly and clearly as he questions, and the answer comes readily and determinedly, “Here am I!”

Sometimes kids are afraid of the questions their father might ask them, fearful that he’s going to ask them to do something hard, something they don’t want to do, or something that makes them feel comfortable.

God isn’t like our earthly fathers.

If he asks something hard of us, he comes alongside and enables us with his power.

If he asks us to do something we don’t want to do, and we obey, the outcome of obeying him is so satisfying and gratifying, and feels so good, we wonder why we hesitated.

If he asks us to move out of our comfort zone, it’s just because he loves us too much to let us sit still and rot where we are.

So if you hear him asking you a question or stirring your heart, consider answering him with a definite “Yes!” and then watch what He does as he holds your hand and leads you into green pastures, by still waters, and to a table full of good things to eat, with him by your side.

Don't Pay Attention

Ecclesiastes 7-  Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins. Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you—for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.

If you haven’t read this book in the bible, please do!  It’s so different than the other books and will keep you studying and reading, over and over again.  In fact, I wrote a book on Ecclesiastes called Life is Fluid!

We do ourselves a disservice if we listen to what others are saying about us, instead of what He says about us.  In fact, if we live a life in that "what do others say" position, we will be disappointed, disillusioned, and dissatisfied.

People are going to mess up, and they will talk behind our backs, and we will talk behind theirs.  It’s just too easy to get upset at someone and in a rash moment, lash out with our tongue about her/him.  So this passage reminds us to “not pay attention” to every word that others say.

This is a huge deal – if we can obey this instruction!

When we are no longer defined by the words of others, but instead renewed by His words over us – that we are accepted, loved, and beautiful in his sight – we are free to live.

Don’t you want to live free?

Both of Them

Proverbs 20

Ears that hear and eyes that see—the Lord has made them both.

We just wrote about another verse a couple of days ago reminding us that if God made our ears and eyes, then of course he hears and sees us.

But here in Proverbs, we are reminded again that God gave us ears to hear and eyes to see, and we need to use them wisely.

We need to listen, stay awake, be aware, of what God is doing and saying…and then obey him and follow.  We need to keep our ears in tune to His voice.

We need to see the needs of others around us, see the path He lays out before us, and meet those needs, walk those trails, because our eyes are open to His ways.

Whatever gifts God has given us – and they are many – we are wise if we use them to follow in his footsteps wherever He goes.

Great Love

Psalm 106

Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry;  for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.

The “yet” here comes after a verse that said they (the children of Israel) were “bent on rebelling,” they continued to disobey and disbelieve and sin…

But even so, when they got into distress God heard their cry.

Remember yesterday’s verse?  Remember the story of a mom and her child in a store?  If a child continually runs off and gets lost, of course the mom is not going to abandon him – she will continue to seek him, hold him, and instruct him – and perhaps discipline him – until he learns to stay close.

We are in covenant with God when we choose to love and obey Him, and out of his great love and because of the sacrifice his Son made on the cross, he withholds punishment…and instead hears our cry and answers.

Even when we rebel.

Even when we sin.

Even when we run away.

His love is great.

Doesn't He?

Psalm 94:9 Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?

One of my favorite ways that God communicates through his Word is when he asks us questions, engaging us in thought and coming up with an answer about WHO he is.

For example, when our kids come crying to us in a store because they lost sight of us for just a few minutes and became afraid we might have left them, we might say to them, “Would Mommy leave you?” to which we expect our child to reply, “No way, I know you wouldn’t,” as we reassure them, hold them close, and comfort them in their fear.

When we feel as though God is not listening to our prayers and our cries, or we think he’s just totally unaware of our situation (because surely he would have done something by now!), we need to answer those two questions above.

Certainly, our Father who formed our bodies while we were still in mother’s womb, giving us our unique eyes and ears, hear and sees us daily in all that we do.

He’s a good Father and we must remind ourselves of that truth, even when we can’t “see” him, knowing he’s just in the next aisle, with arms wide open.

Don't Hide It

Psalm 78:2-4 …things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.  We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.

From the time our kids are little, we need to start sharing with them the things God has done in lives, so that they “hear” and “know” the power and wonder of their heavenly Father.

Instead of recalling all of the trouble we got into as a kid, the messes we made of our lives, the mistakes we made, etc. why not turn and recall all of the blessings God gave us over the years?

We don’t need to make our kids, young or old, sit and listen to us tell a long, lengthy lecture about serving God – we need to just share what he’s done for us.

Did we lose a job?  Tell them how God provided a new and better one.

Did a friend suddenly pass away?  Tell them how God comforted us through his Word.

Did we experience a huge disappointment?  Tell them how hard it was, but how big God was.

In other words, TELL THEM.  In your everyday conversations, just casually and simply talk about His blessings, so that when they go through tough times, they will recall what they’ve heard.  And they too will then KNOW that He is faithful.

Thunder, Wind and Lightning

Psalm 77:18

Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.

I LOVE following the weather forecasts, the storms that are brewing, and the winds that are stirring.  It’s fascinating to me.

I’m guessing maybe this writer did, too. 

Have you ever just sat and listened to a storm outside your window? Or have you observed the lightning as it darts across the sky at night, lighting up the darkness?

I’ve never experienced an earthquake, but I can imagine it’s frightening and amazing all at the same time.

All of those weather-related experiences are cool to observe and hear, as long as we’re safe and protected from the damage that can come from a storm.

God’s power is manifest throughout the earth, even in the winds and the rain and the storms.  And in the thunder!

Next time, you hear the roll of thunder in the distance, sit still and listen.

The next verse after the above one says this:

Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.

Are you at the foot of a huge sea you cannot cross, with enemies pursuing you from behind? 

Look and listen for the whirlwind of his power, and then see if he doesn’t part the waters to make a path for you to run, unharmed, and only pursued by his loving hand.

He Delivers

Psalm 34:17

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

Yesterday we read how the Lord hears our voice in the morning.

But in this verse we read how he not only hears…he delivers us from trouble.

We are the righteous – the ones who have been forgiven – the ones who stand clean in his presence – and he hears our prayers.

It’s great to be heard, when someone listens.  It heals temporarily as we unload our troubles onto someone else’s shoulder.  But if those troubles follow us and take up residence in our homes, we have to keep unloading often, keep sharing, keep looking for that listening ear.

God is the One who can actually deliver us. So it makes sense that he is the one to whom we should cry out, because he hears AND helps.

Trouble isn’t always our circumstances.  God doesn’t always deliver us from situations.  But he has promised to give us peace and assurance to rise above those situations in faith and peace and rest.

His deliverance doesn’t always look like a helicopter landing where he whisks us away to a foreign beach for a romping good time on the sand.

His deliverance does look like a mighty arm that stretches out to save us and bring us close to his chest, under his wing, in his shadow, where we are at peace from the storm that rages around us.

Then he enters the middle of the storm and speaks, so that even the winds and the waves obey him.

Expectantly

Psalm 5:3

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

When do you most often pray, in the morning, or at night?  How about all day?

I find  myself calling on the Lord throughout my day, as thoughts encircle me, fears rise up against me, and gratitude fills my heart.

The psalmist often talks of calling on the Lord in the morning, before we being our day, before we set our feet on the ground.

Imagine yourself, as depicted in this verse, laying out your requests before the Lord in the morning, much like laying out a hand of cards.

You can say,

“Lord, I’ve been dealt this hand.  And in it is a sick friend, a need for financial help, a request for guidance, and a plea for a rescue.”

Then the psalmist says to lay them out and wait….expectantly.

In other words, leave the cards there at his feet, as you go about your day.  Let him ponder them, shuffle them, and remove them or play them.

But as you go on your way, wait expectantly on your God to answer and take care of all that concerns you.

He loves you.  And the "hand" he plays always wins...

When I Call

Psalm 4:3

Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.

Have you ever called a friend when you were in need, only to get their voicemail?

Have you yelled across the yard for your son to come inside, but he can’t hear you?

Have you spoken to your own husband about things dear to your heart, only to find he’s fallen asleep after your third sentence?

God doesn’t have ears like humans.  He doesn’t tune us out, he never gives us a recorded message, and he’s always awake – he never sleeps!

What a friend he is!

This verse reminds us that he holds our faithfulness dear to his heart, and he hears us when we call to him….day or night.

He answers us, he can hear us from any pit we’ve fallen into, and he holds dear everything we share with him – he takes it to heart – and he heals our heart.

God is the best friend we could ever hope to have – he remains faithful always – and his ears are always set to recognize our voice when we call.

Call on him.  Chat with him.  Pour out your heart to him.  He’s awake and listening…

But Now...

Job 42

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.

You know the story of Job.  The worst life ever…he lost everything, including his health, his family, his friends.  He knew God, he prayed, but he still suffered…immeasurable pain and loss.

The book of Job is one of my favorite stories, especially the discourse he has with God near the end, when God quizzes Job about the creation and all that is in it, asking Job if he can even fathom or understand or mimic God’s amazing power and wonder. Of course, Job cannot.

Job knew of God’s power, he’d read about it and heard about.  We have too.  We read about, we hear of it in the lives of others, and we have a lot of head knowledge about God.

But have we seen him?

Nothing establishes our faith more than hearing of God’s great love, power, and compassion and then experiencing it for ourselves.

And the only way to see him in all of his glory and power is to walk with him into the battle and watch him win.

You Heard

Nehemiah 9:28

But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.

This verse tells the story of we humans over and over again.

Life is good, we are at rest, we get complacent, and we forget God…and drift towards evil.

Enemies of fear, frustration and failure begin to rule our lives until we finally…

Cry out to God.

He hears us from heaven.

In his compassion he delivers us.

Time after time.

What a gracious God we serve, full of mercy for our fickle ways.

Tell Them

II Chronicles 20:29

The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.

One of the best testimonies and witnesses we can give to others who have yet to know Him is recalling God’s faithfulness in our lives, when he struck down our enemies:

Like depression, fear, anger, unforgiveness, etc.

Those things zap our spiritual strength and life, and when we allow God to come in and strike down their attack on our minds and our bodies and our hearts, we are set free and our load is light – He wins!

In this verse, we read how surrounding kingdoms (not just individuals – but whole kingdoms!) come to fear God when they see his mighty hand at work.

We make “witnessing” so hard sometimes, when all we really need to do is share the victories in our lives with others, as we work, play, and go about living next to our neighbors.

And when they hear of it, a huge ripple effect just might take place and kingdoms fall around us… in worship to our Lord.

If...Then

II Chronicles 7:14 … if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

There are at least 10 instances of the word “hear” prior to this answer the Lord gives to Solomon.  Solomon prays a prayer of dedication and asks God to hear from heaven the cries of the people.

I love the Lord’s response to Solomon’s prayer, as this is an often quoted verse from the Bible.

The Lord agrees with Solomon’s petition that IF the people who bear His name will humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from sin, THEN God will hear and forgive and heal.

I remember learning about If/then statements in Math – where if certain conditions are met then a certain outcome will appear. 

God is giving us this sort of equation where we can expect a specific outcome.

Many use this verse to encourage those who love God to pray for our land, so that the wickedness in our land will cease.

I believe His word is true, and that he has given us the simplicity of success in this promise.

If we do the things he tells us to do…we can expect heaven to move and earth to respond.

Our Own Ears

I Chronicles 17:20 There is no one like you, Lord, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

We sing songs at church that express these same sentiments of telling the Lord there is no one like him, no other God but him, etc. and we “hear” ourselves say the words.

But do we really “hear” what we’re singing and what it means to voice those truths?

There is no one like our Lord – in power, in strength, in wisdom, and in love.   No one. This means he is worthy of our honor and worship.

There is no God but him – all other gods and idols are worthless, need to be destroyed, and must be out of our lives.  This means we put him first in all that we do.

Sometimes we have to really hear what we’re singing and saying with our OWN ears before it sinks into our OWN hearts and we arise in true worship.

There is no one like you, Lord,

There is no God but you….

Sing it out loud until you hear what it is you are singing…

To Hear

The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

Wow, can you imagine being so full of wisdom that the whole world hears about it and seeks you out?

There’s a Youtube video of a couple who sings two of Taylor Swift’s songs, and when Swift heard it – she loved it – she tweeted about it – and I saw that yesterday over 9million hits have been made!  And I love it, too!  Look what a sensation was made when the right person "heard!"

God put wisdom in Solomon’s heart, and God says if we ask for wisdom, he will give it to us liberally. 

And if we are granted wisdom, and we act and move  in wisdom, others will be drawn to us – not to see what a great person we are – but to see how to obtain the wisdom.

Lord, we pray for wisdom to hear your voice, obey it, know when to speak and when to listen, and to know how to reach others for you so that they too seek you with all of their hearts.

Get ready.  

They’re coming.  

And His wisdom will guide you and keep you, as you give ear and answers to the questions they bring.

They will Hear

I Kings 8:42

...for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple,

Do those who know you HEAR about God’s work in your life?

Do you tell them about his great name, and how the name of Jesus brings you comfort, joy, and life?

Do they know that his mighty hand has supplied all that you need for you and your family?

Are your friends aware that his outstretched arm reaches far enough to meet them in their need, too?

I know that I don’t voice the goodness of God in my life enough, so that others hear and believe.  I don’t want to offend or sound “religious” sometimes, in fear of turning others off. 

But the truth is that if we genuinely love Jesus and we acknowledge that all good things come from his hand, we can’t help but reveal it to those around us.  

And if we share in a loving manner, they too will see his goodness and wonder…and then believe.