Learning to hear & recognize God's voice
For the power Thou hast given me to lay hold of things unseen:
For the strong sense I have that this is not my home:
For my restless heart which nothing finite can satisfy:
I give Thee thanks, O God.
For the invasion of my soul by Thy Holy Spirit:
For all human love and goodness that speak to me of Thee:
For the fullness of Thy glory outpoured in Jesus Christ:
I give Thee thanks, O God.
~ John Baillie
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He has a name suiting every need.
Do you need wonders to be wrought for you? His name is Wonderful;
look to Him so to do, for His name’s sake.
Do you need counsel and direction? His name is the Counselor.
Do you have mighty enemies to debate? His name is the Mighty God;
ask Him to exert His power for His name’s sake.
Do you need His fatherly pity? His name is the Everlasting Father.
Plead His pity, for His name’s sake.
Do you need peace external, internal, or eternal?
His name is the Prince of Peace; seek, for His name’s sake,
that He may create peace.
Do you need healing? His name is Jehovah-Rophi,
the Lord the Healer and physician.
Do you need pardon? His name is Jehovah-Tsidkenu,
the Lord our Righteousness.
Do you need defense and protection? His name is Jehovah-Nissi,
the Lord your Banner. Seek, for His name’s sake, that His banner of
love and grace may be spread over you.
Do you need provision in extreme want? His name is Jehovah-Jireh,
the Lord will provide.
Do you need His presence? His name is Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord is there; Immanuel, God with us.
Do you need audience of prayer? His name is the Hearer of Prayer.
Do you need strength? His name is the Strength of Israel.
Do you need comfort? His name is the Consolation of Israel.
Do you need shelter? His name is the City of Refuge.
Have you nothing and need all? His name is All in All.
He has a name suitable for your supply; He has wisdom to guide you and power to keep you, mercy to pity you, truth to shield you, holiness to sanctify you, righteousness to justify you, grace to adorn you, and glory to crown you.
Trust in His name, who saves for His name’s sake.
~ Ralph Erskine
Follow @learning2hearThe joyful birds prolong the strain,
Their song with every spring renewed;
The air we breathe, and falling rain,
Each softly whispers: God is good.
Poem by ~ John Hampden Gurney
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When you magnify an object, you enlarge it so that you can understand it. When we magnify God, we do the same. We enlarge our awareness of Him so we can understand Him more.
This is exactly what happens in the chapel of worship—we take our mind off ourselves and set it on God. The emphasis is on Him. Max Lucado
I wanted to capture the beautiful moon ring that appeared on Saturday night, January 7, 2012, and after taking several photos this was the best one.
A moon ring is said to be formed by ice crystals, and is often called a moon halo. I think “halo” is a better description, since it has a glow to it.
The halo didn’t turn out as brilliant in my picture as it looked to actually see it, and clouds soon rolled past to interfere with the halo effect. But for a while it looked as if the moon was radiating a glow of praise for God, our Creator, as it shone brightly in the night sky.
Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!
Psalm 148:2-4
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“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
“An ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. And were it not for a God who loves to hook an “extra” on the front of the ordinary, the night would have gone unnoticed. The sheep would have been forgotten, and the shepherds would have slept the night away. But God dances among the common. And that night He did a waltz.” Max Lucado
Wishing you a Merry Christmas as you celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Greatest Gift ever given!
Follow @learning2hearGod’s love is not a slowly dripping faucet or a well we must dig for ourselves. It is a rushing stream that flows from His heart into ours. David McCasland
I wouldn’t try to measure how much water rushed by as I stood beside this stream, but whatever the amount was, God’s love is even more! And His love isn’t affected by the weather, as rainfall or drought will affect a stream. No matter what is going on in our lives, God’s love stays the same.
God reveals Himself to us in many ways, and reminds us of His love and care for us. Jennifer Dukes Lee, on her “Getting Down With Jesus” blog, calls these “God-Bumps or God-Incidences“. My God-Bump today was finding the perfect picture to use with the inspiring quote I read, as detailed below:
I took this picture more than 6 years ago, but I read the quote just yesterday (December 6, 2011). The quote stuck with me since reading it, and I could just imagine the rushing stream used to describe God’s love. Today I was browsing through some old picture folders and came across the one of the stream. Immediately I thought of the quote.
I wasn’t planning on a post with the quote, I had already tweeted it. But after coming across the stream picture it was the ‘bump‘ I needed to connect the two. And I needed a God-Bump of encouragement today. The timing was another God-Bump. God is good, and His timing is perfect!
Click on the button below to go to Jennifer’s Blog:
Any day that begins with God’s new mercies is a special day. Since His mercies are new every morning, that makes every day special. There is nothing ordinary about the Creator of the Universe, and you only have to spend some time observing His creation to realize that.
If you woke up this morning, (and you must have since you’re reading this!) then you are a living miracle.
Our very breath depends on God blessing us with the air we breathe, and the lungs to breathe it.
He made each one of us unique; your DNA does not match anyone else’s. His plan for your life is unique to you.
As water flowing over the rocks of a waterfall creates its own sound, and causes the rocks to be shaped in unique patterns, so each day’s experiences create the unique life that is you. We give more importance to some days than others, and we should, because special occasions and celebrations add their own touches to our life. But even the every day, going to work, going to school, being a stay at home mom, being retired, or whatever phase your life is in, is special in its own way.
God’s mercies are new every morning, His compassion never fails, He is always faithful, and that makes every day anything but ordinary!
Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
Lamentations 3:22-24
Follow @learning2hearI don’t know how God will do it, but somehow, while you are in your dark and lonely place, God will come to where you are and confirm His faithfulness and His promises to you! God will use your dark, lonely place of despair as a banner to write His love over your life!
Elijah had his ravens; Moses had his burning bush; Jesus had His empty tomb. God has a way of showing us that it will be all right. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us, and He never will. — John Patterson
Those are encouraging words – hope for those waiting for an answer to prayer, a lifeline for those who are intimately acquainted with despair. God always comes through, one way or another, and usually not in the way we expect.
Elijah’s story in 1 Kings chapter 17 about God sending ravens to feed him, and God using a burning bush in Exodus 3 to call Moses into service, are just two examples of the unique, unexpected ways God provides for our needs and comes to us where we are. When Mary Magdalene found the empty tomb in John chapter 20, it was evidence of Jesus fulfilling a promise that He would rise again. Although Jesus knew there would be an empty tomb, the cross was a dark, lonely place of despair as He hung there waiting to die.
Those who watched as He was crucified and died were in their own dark, lonely places of despair. The time between the cross and the empty tomb must have seemed endless to them, especially to Mary, Jesus’ mother. As a mother myself, I cannot imagine the dark despair she endured as her son was beaten, crucified, and hanging on a cross waiting to die, then placed inside a cold, dark tomb.
But that was not the end of the story! God used that dark, lonely place of despair as a banner to write His love over their life, and ours. Jesus went from a cold, dark tomb to sitting at the right hand of God, fulfilling many long-awaited promises. Promises that we can count on, because God is faithful.
“and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” Ephesians 1:19-21
No matter how dark, lonely, or despairing our circumstances are, He is always with us, and His promises are always true. God has a way of showing us that it will be alright, and He will confirm His faithfulness to us.
Hebrews 13:5 reminds us of His promise, “He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
When I first stopped to take this picture, I was focusing on the leaves floating in a pool of water beneath a small waterfall that could barely qualify as a waterfall now. The waterfall had become only a steady drip because of weeks without much rainfall, and the pool of water it dripped into seemed to be stagnant. But as I looked closer, I could see the water had a gentle current moving under the layer of leaves, just enough to keep it from stagnating. There was a very tiny stream of water meandering down the slope above the waterfall to drip off the rock shelf, and colorful leaves accumulated in it and in this pool, as if to soak in a last drink of water before dying.
While studying the variety of leaf shapes and colors in the water, I realized that wasn’t the only thing I could see. If I shifted my focus off the leaves and onto the surface of water surrounding them I could see a reflection. It doesn’t show up as well in the picture, but you can see some of the reflection of blue sky and trees that are reflected in the pool of water.
The same picture that has fallen leaves – a sign of changing seasons, dying foliage, and evidence of drought – also has blue sky, green pine trees, and a gentle undercurrent of water – all signs of life and hope. Sometimes all it takes is to shift our focus to see things from a different perspective. And sometimes all it takes is a little hope to give us a better perspective.
We can have hope in our times of despair, because God is faithful. God keeps His promises. And He never leaves us. Never.
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Elton Trueblood said, “It used to be that Christianity was a revolutionary faith that turned the world upside down. But today Christians sit in Sunday morning church services looking at their watches, wondering what time dinner will be served, or thinking about the kickoff. And we hope that church won’t interfere with the things we would really rather be doing.”
Many Pastors are admonished to keep their sermons short, or to finish them by a certain time on Sunday mornings, and get raked over the coals if they don’t. Hearing what God has to say is not the priority, the time on the clock and afternoon plans are the priority.
Sunday dinner, Sunday sports, and other Sunday activities have pushed God into the background of people’s lives. And if worship services interfere too much with their plans, people just stop going altogether.
Has a “hurry up and get this over with” attitude replaced an attitude of worship?
Has an attitude of obligation toward going to the house of the Lord replaced an attitude of gladness and thanksgiving?
Has Sunday morning worship become Sunday morning countdown, to how long before it’s over?
Is a few hours a week too much to give to the One who created you and cares for you, Who gave His Son for you, and Who died for you?
Is Jesus really Lord of your life when your mind is on anything but Him when you’re in His house to worship Him?
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Psalm 122:1
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4
Christianity is still a revolutionary faith, but sadly many Christians consider it more of an interference in their lives than a revolution.
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Hearing His Voice 