"Thus says the Lord" We sometimes take for granted the wonder that the transcendent Creator God of the universe speaks to us--is an immanent God who longs for a personal relationship with men. He walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden. He spoke to a shepherd boy on a hillside to remind him--and us--that He is the God who daily cares for the needs of His people. He spoke--a whisper--to the old prophet hiding in the cave, depressed and discouraged, to remind him that he still had work to do--that he was needed to pass on the ministry to those coming behind. He has been, through the Spirit, communicating to man for thousands of years. He is not silent.
Sometimes we complain that He is. But I have found the problem is that my Bible sits closed on my desk, my prayer life is muffled by busyness, and my heart refuses to echo the songs He has given me. He is not silent. I am not listening. I have not been responding to His voice. Conversation is a "two-way street."
And sadly--it's incredulous to me--there are those today who think He needs help in saying what He means. They read the verses, "Thus meant the Lord." And what they say He meant to say is what they want Him to say. As if the God who is The Word both living and written, the God who created language and spoke the entire universe into existence isn't capable of saying exactly what He means. They elevate their intellect and verbosity over the clarity and simplicity and truth that the Spirit speaks. (Usually because they are afraid to be called fools for the sake of Christ by the world around them.) God says what He means. We just need to believe it whether it fits our "theology" or not.
What a God we serve who speaks to us through His Word, through prayer, through song, through the inner promptings of the Spirit, who--consistent with the written Word--guides us into all truth and then empowers us to turn that truth into an active faith that pleases Him because it believes that His words and His promises are infallible and true. That "thus says the Lord" requires our attention and belief.
Sovereign and transcendent--immanent and personal. He alone is God. He alone is our caring Father, Savior, and Friend who speaks to His people on a daily basis.
Sometimes we complain that He is. But I have found the problem is that my Bible sits closed on my desk, my prayer life is muffled by busyness, and my heart refuses to echo the songs He has given me. He is not silent. I am not listening. I have not been responding to His voice. Conversation is a "two-way street."
And sadly--it's incredulous to me--there are those today who think He needs help in saying what He means. They read the verses, "Thus meant the Lord." And what they say He meant to say is what they want Him to say. As if the God who is The Word both living and written, the God who created language and spoke the entire universe into existence isn't capable of saying exactly what He means. They elevate their intellect and verbosity over the clarity and simplicity and truth that the Spirit speaks. (Usually because they are afraid to be called fools for the sake of Christ by the world around them.) God says what He means. We just need to believe it whether it fits our "theology" or not.
What a God we serve who speaks to us through His Word, through prayer, through song, through the inner promptings of the Spirit, who--consistent with the written Word--guides us into all truth and then empowers us to turn that truth into an active faith that pleases Him because it believes that His words and His promises are infallible and true. That "thus says the Lord" requires our attention and belief.
Sovereign and transcendent--immanent and personal. He alone is God. He alone is our caring Father, Savior, and Friend who speaks to His people on a daily basis.
"Open my ears, that I may hear, voices of truth Thou sendest clear; and while the wave-notes fall on my ear everything false will disappear. Silently now, I wait for Thee, ready my God Thy will to see; open my ears, illumine me, Spirit Divine!"
No comments:
Post a Comment