Devotions

John the Baptist never made it to Pentecost. He saw none of the cloven tongues of fire, nor did he hear the mighty rushing wind. He did not see Jerusalem shaken and multitudes converted, but John still said his joy was fulfilled! He had heard something better than the rushing wind, better than good reports, better than the sounds of a joyful bride. He had heard the Savior’s voice.

“He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled” (John 3:29, NKJV).

John tasted the greatest joy a follower of Jesus can know. He said, “I stood still, and I heard him talk to me. His voice made my heart leap. He talked to me personally. I listened to my Lord, and that’s my joy: just hearing his voice.” John could say, “Oh yes, I loved him. I worshipped at his feet and told him how unworthy I was. My joy is not in what I said to him; my joy is in what he spoke to me! I rejoice in the sound of that voice.”

Some people teach that the Lord no longer speaks to men except through the revealed Word. They cannot believe men can be directed and blessed by hearing the Spirit’s voice today. Scripture declares, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2), and “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7-8).

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Nowadays we are afraid of all the abuses, afraid we will be led to revelations contrary to the Word of God. All the abuses are not God’s fault. Every fake vision, false prophecy or false leading is a direct result of man’s own pride and self-will. Men abuse every gift of God. Nevertheless, God still speaks directly to the hearts of those willing to hear.

Elijah exercised the power of prayer. He stood on Mount Carmel and mocked the prophets of Baal, killing them right under the king’s nose.

Elijah had ever right to believe that a great spiritual awakening was about to take place. The fire of God had fallen and miracles had been witnessed by multitudes. It had been an unbelievable display of God’s power. What a shock he got. Jezebel was not at all impressed with miracles and power, and she said to Elijah, “By tomorrow at this time, I will kill you just like you killed my priests.”

The next time we see this great man of power and action, he is hiding in a cave on Mount Horeb almost 200 miles away. God called to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here hiding in this cave?”

Elijah answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life” (1 Kings 19:14, NKJV). Elijah, a praying prophet, had been so busy for God, so busy demonstrating God’s power, so busy saving God’s kingdom, that he had become a one-way servant. He had been talking to God often, but he had done very little listening.

A prophet who was not afraid of a hurricane or an earthquake or heavenly fireworks was frightened by a still small voice. “So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave” (1 Kings 19:13). Elijah covered his head with his coat! Why? Had not this prophet talked to God many times? Was he not a great man of prayer? Hadn’t God used him mightily? Yes, but Elijah was a stranger to the still small voice.

When Elijah finally allowed that voice to speak — alone, quiet, away from all the power displays — he got the most specific directions ever in all his ministry.

How many busy children of God today have never had that voice come to them? They are busy witnessing, praying for a spiritual awakening and fasting intensely. They are so dedicated, yet they have heard everything but the voice of the Lord. The still, small voice of God will offer greater revelation and blessing than many mighty works.

Hopelessness is borne out of an incorrect view of God, and that’s where Satan comes to kill and destroy our view of God being good and for us. God is powerful, available and present to us at all times; he is with us in the storm when the storms don’t cease.

As we become a spiritual man or woman of God, the person who draws near to Jesus in complete trust, we’re going to face a battle. There are going to be satanic distractions to pull us away from intimacy with Jesus. Our ‘drug’ of choice or our comfort of choice can be a plethora of things. It's usually ‘self’ things like “I want to build my career” or “I want to build my reputation” or “I want comfort.”

Living for yourself feels good temporarily, but it's actually miserable in the long run. That's where some forms of depression come from; it’s where most kinds of addictions spring from. This is the source of almost anything that robs us of the joy of our family life with Jesus.

There's an arrow from the Holy Spirit that penetrates all those walls of self-interest and building up of self. It breaks through everything and says, “That's not what your heart was built for. You weren't built for yourself; you were built for others; you were built for God. You were built for his kingdom.” No one will be truly happy until they come to that place of realizing, “I’m not meant to live for myself.”

Even people who are already in a relationship with Jesus Christ will find within themselves a God-given longing, even a jealousy, that says, “God, I'm not satisfied with making money. I'm not satisfied with a good career. I'm not satisfied exclusively with being in good health. I want more.” What we’re craving is that deeper relationship with Jesus. This is a desire we should experience because, as Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, ESV).

We are called to embrace the reality that we are created to seek God’s glory in whatever we do. This restless urge in us should drive us to search out ways to honor and worship God.

In Hebrew, there is a wonderful word: chanak. It has two etymological roots. The first refers to setting in motion, guiding or helping to discover. It’s in “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6, ESV). This passage evokes the divine and precious call of every parent to develop his or her child in the path that God has chosen for that child.

I am not talking about leading your child to the path you wanted in your youth. Don't seek to live your dreams vicariously through your children. Instead, accompany them in the discovery of their future with love, respect and a listening ear. Don't force your child to take the path that seems to work well for their sibling or other children. Refuse to compare your child to anyone else. Your child is unique, and God has a unique path and purpose prepared for them.

The second root of the word chanak was used to describe the palate. ‘Doing chanak’ could be translated “putting a finger on the palate.” This refers to the tenderness of a young mother who tastes her baby's food in order to create in him the desire to taste it too. Chantal and I are a respite home for young mothers who are going through difficult times and need help. We were taking care of a beautiful little girl who was about three years old. Faced with her blatant lack of interest in any vegetable, Chantal practiced chanak. “Mmm! It's so good! Do you want to taste it, my dear? It's so much better than candy!”

The little one, under the spell of my wife's undeniable theatrical talent, repeated, "Mmmm!" It's good, Grandma!” She ended up eating the entire plate of vegetables.

Training up a child in the way he or she should go could just as well translate into giving your child a taste for walking in the paths that God has created for him. The Bible says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8). Our responsibility is to give them a taste of the presence of God, his Word and his heart. As a father, I want my life to impact my children and leave them hungry and thirsty for all the riches and blessings of an abundant life in Jesus.

^{Claude Houde is the lead pastor of Eglise Nouvelle Vie (New Life Church) in Montreal, Canada. Under his leadership New Life Church has grown from a handful of people to more than 3500 in a part of Canada with few successful Protestant churches.}

We think our Lord gets enough pleasure from what we do for him, but there is so much more. Consider this verse: “Which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’?” (Luke 17:7-8, NKJV).

We may have no trouble at all identifying with the servant in his duty to the master. No trouble in putting on our apron and serving up the Lord a full table of praises. We love to feed our Lord! It is our greatest joy to minister unto the Lord, but we have difficulty with the last part: “Afterward, you will eat!” That may feel like too much for us to comprehend. We do not know how to sit down and allow him the same joy we experienced in serving him. We rob our Lord of the joy of ministering to us.

Christ responds to our faith and rejoices when we repent. He talks to the Father about us and delights in our childlike trust. However, I am convinced that his greatest need is to have one-to-one communication with those he left here on earth. No angel in heaven can meet that need. Jesus wants to talk with those on the battlefield.

Where did I get such a notion? It’s in the account of Christ appearing to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were grieved about their departed Lord, but when the resurrected Christ drew near, they did not recognize him. He wanted to talk; he had so much to say to them. “So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus himself drew near and went with them…and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:15, 27).

There could have been no finer experience for those disciples; they went away saying, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us?” We think of the joy of the disciples, but what about the joy of Jesus? He was fulfilled, and I see him overjoyed by this communion with his disciples.