Devotions

When we spend time with God, we should want to do more than just present a list of requests — we need to listen for his voice! Someone once said, “What’s more important, us telling God our requests, which he already knows before we tell him, or us listening for his voice, to hear what is on his heart?”

I know some people don’t believe we can still hear God’s voice. “He has already said what he is going to say in the Bible.” They would argue that hearing from God is religious fanaticism or a form of scary emotionalism. But the history of the Christian church totally negates that belief. How else would people like British missionary Hudson Taylor — who, while spending time with the Lord, felt God put a call on his heart to go to China — have brought the gospel to unreached people in Asia? In fact, how would any missionary who has ever done something great for God have known to do it unless God had first communicated it to them? There is no verse in the Bible that says, “Go to Bangladesh!”

Although we all know that the Bible is complete and God does not speak to replace doctrine or communicate on the same level of Scripture, he does still speak. He might offer vital words of warning or convicting messages that have personal application. Sometimes it is a word of guidance — a direction we should move in. That kind of direction is heard only by a listening ear or a hearing heart.

One of my favorite passages is found in Isaiah. “The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed” (Isaiah 50:4, emphasis added).  

Jim Cymbala began the Brooklyn Tabernacle with less than twenty members in a small, rundown building in a difficult part of the city. A native of Brooklyn, he is a longtime friend of both David and Gary Wilkerson.

David was a man of great faith who grew into a godly, wise, beloved king. “And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him” (1 Samuel 18:14, ESV). He was a man of much prayer, praising the Lord as few people ever have, and blessing the heart of God with his songs. Nobody could have been more intimate with the Lord than David.

We love to read of David’s many exploits (slaying lions and bears and, finally, the mighty giant Goliath). God’s Spirit was upon this man, and the Lord clearly had a great plan for his life. But then King Saul came after David with wrath and David ran for his life, hiding in caves until he simply got tired of the battle. He was weary and he must have thought, “I’m so tired of this! If I’m so special to the Lord, chosen for this hour, then why am I in such deep trouble?”

In his time of despair, David fled to a place called Gath, the very hometown of the giant Goliath, whom he had slain. David had not sought the Lord about this move; he had just impulsively run. Looking for refuge, David put his life into the hands of King Achish of Gath — and he became trapped in his own foolishness.

Even though David was unfaithful at that moment, God was still faithful and his plan for David was still in place. God didn’t write him off; in fact, he was moving everything into place to ensure David’s blessing. “I anointed David king — and he will be king! He has a contrite heart and my plan for him is still on schedule.”

Perhaps, like David, you have gone through some kind of senseless period in your life. In the midst of chaos, you have acted according to the flesh and run ahead of God. If so, don’t despair! You may have gotten off track, but God’s plan is still in place. Your Father remains faithful.

Abraham is known to the church as a man of faith. Indeed, the Bible holds him up to us as an example of faith: “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Galatians 3:6).

God had appeared to Abram (as he was called then) and said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward!” (Genesis 15:1). God also promised Abram that he would be buried at “a good old age” (see verse 15). And there’s more! In addition, God pledged that anyone who tried to harm or curse Abram would himself be cursed (see Genesis 12:3).

Beloved, these are incredible promises: protection, long life, heavenly intervention. And God spoke these things to Abram personally. This pious, believing servant of God was visited by the Lord himself and promised personal protection and a long life without fear of harm. And Abram believed God! He trusted that the Lord would shelter, protect and shield him from all danger.

You remember the story from this point. Abram left his country at God’s command — totally by faith. God told him, “Everywhere you put your foot will be your land.” As we continue Abram’s journey, we see that he made some missteps along the way. Remember, he went down to Egypt (a mistake!) and then lied about his beautiful wife Sarai, telling people she was his sister because he was afraid she would be stolen from him. Which, in fact, happened when Pharaoh took her into his house for a time. This situation was quickly rectified when God moved in and no harm came to her (see this account in Genesis 12).

God’s master plan for Abram prevailed in spite of his momentary lack of faith and his miserable failures. Likewise, whatever God determines for your life cannot be stopped if you simply put your life into his hands. He is faithful concerning his promises — even when we are not.

We know Daniel as the stalwart, gifted young man who loyally served Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and interpreted his dreams. But his greatest exploits came as a result of his being a righteous man of prayer.

Daniel lived such a devoted, holy life that you would not expect to find him repenting before the Lord. But his heart was very sensitive to sin and he identified with the horrible sins of the people of Israel. Notice his use of the plural pronoun we in his prayer.

“We have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land” (Daniel 9:5-6).

“I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God” (Daniel 9:20). Daniel was saying, in essence, “Lord, deal with me while you are dealing with your people. If there is any iniquity in my heart, bring it out and show it to me!”

Are there really benefits to repentance? Yes! One truly wonderful benefit is the gift of a new, clearer vision of Jesus Christ. After Daniel repented, he had a vision: “I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen [appeared]” (Daniel 10:5). Daniel was the only one who saw the man, who was actually Jesus in all his glory!

Understand, Daniel was not praying for this vision; he was just repenting, confessing and mourning over sin. Jesus took it upon himself to come to Daniel in this revelation — the Lord initiated it! You see, when we humble ourselves before the Lord and make things right with him and others, we don’t have to seek a revelation. Jesus will manifest himself to us! It may not be in a vision but we will know that he is present.

I believe repentance is just as much for believers as it is for sinners; Christians who maintain a repentant attitude bring upon themselves God’s special attention. If we walk before the Lord with a repentant heart, we will be inundated with incredible blessings.

A noteworthy characteristic of a repentant heart is a willingness to accept blame for wrongdoing, to say, “Lord, I’m the one who has sinned.”

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10). And John writes, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

It can be excruciating to admit that we are wrong. We justify our actions and perform all sorts of machinations to escape blame in an effort to divert attention from ourselves. And none of this pleases God.

Being repentant means more than just apologizing or making things right with the person we have wronged. It is also about making things right with God. David exemplifies this for us perfectly — he believed in conducting heart searchings. In the hard discipline of digging out sin in his heart, David cried, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

David continually opened up his heart to God’s searchlight. He welcomed the examination of the Lord, going so far as to cry, “If I’ve sinned against you in any way and I don’t know it, please reveal it to me. I repent.” “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:3-4).

Do you need to allow God to search your heart today? Repenting of any hidden sin will keep your heart soft and pliable before him, tender and easily molded by the Holy Spirit.