Psalm 25:1-5 – Listen Up
The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who came down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir.”
It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Somewhat puzzled, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”
Tonite’s message deals with listening, in particular, listening to God. We are continuing with our walking in the Spirit messages, and tonite’s topic deals with how to get instructions from God.
Now, I must say, I am no expert in this. I hope I don’t come across as someone who has all the answers. I don’t. But the journey I am on right
now leads me to think that we need to hear about how God speaks. Let’s read Psalm 25:1-5. Show me, teach me, guide me. These are all good places to start. As willing followers, we want God to show us what to do. We want God to teach us what is the best way to go. And we want God to guide us to where He wants us.
But how does He do it? Well, let’s start with the OT. Hebrews 1:1, commenting on the OT, says, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways.” Well, how did God let His people know what to do in the OT? What were those various ways? God spoke to Adam and Eve face to face. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush. He spoke to Balaam through his donkey. He spoke to Elijah through a still small voice. He spoke to the people of Israel through a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. He spoke to Isaiah through a vision. He spoke to Gideon through a sign, 2 days in a row. He spoke to Belshazzar through hand-writing on the wall. He spoke to Daniel through dreams. He spoke to Jacob through an angel. He spoke to David through the prophet Nathan. He spoke through the Urim and Thummim, which supposedly gave God’s directions.
But many times the Bible simply says, “The Lord spoke to…” I don’t know what that means, but I picture a booming voice from heaven. Well, clearly, God doesn’t really do that so much now, if at all. We want the big, clear, unmistakable signs that God is speaking to us. We want the bush, the writing, the donkey, the fleece. But they were pretty much one-time things. The NT changed so much, including how God speaks.
That Hebrews passage goes on in v2 to say, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” Jesus is God’s message to us. His character is God’s message for how we should live. His sacrifice is God’s message for how we should approach Him. In short, Jesus is God’s Word to us.
But how do we flesh that out? How do we know what God wants for us today? How did God speak to His NT believers? Well, of course Jesus used all kinds of ways. He healed, He fed, He did miracles, and He did them all differently, as well. A person couldn’t predict how Jesus would do something. They just had to stand back and watch.
But I’ll tell you something, Pentecost changed everything. Part of Pentecost was to show that the Law wasn’t written on stone – it is now written on our hearts. That means, that a lot of the guidance that God gives us is an internal thing. It isn’t always easier, but such as it is. It means that we really have to seek for His will, instead of its being dropped onto us. It means more work, but God really enjoys our seeking Him, the same reason He doesn’t answer prayers immediately.
Up till Pentecost, in Acts 2, when Jesus has died and risen and ascended to heaven, the believers are trying to figure out what to do with the empty place of the 12, vacated by Judas. They cast lots – they roll dice, more or less – and Matthias is chosen. They took that as God’s sign. Well, Matthias is never heard from again, and we never read that they ever cast lots again. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn’t.
Now, before I get to how God does speak to believers in the NT, I’d like to look at how we have usually thought of this issue. One way that we have talked about knowing what God wanted is the Open Door method. “If God opens the door,” we say. That almost sounds biblical – Colossians 4:3 says, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message.” But that wasn’t Paul trying to figure out God’s will. He knew what it was, and prayed that God would make it possible.
We say, “Well, here’s an opportunity – God must be opening the door for me.” But it may not be so. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 2:12-13. This says there was an open door, opened by God, but Paul still didn’t feel right about, so he moved on. He didn’t believe that the open door was where God wanted him.
You see, an open door may mean God wants you through. Maybe not. Maybe Satan opened the door and wants you to go through it. We say, “God closes a door and opens a window.” Is that any better? Maybe the door was shut so you could knock harder, which is biblical. Maybe the window opened only to provide more light for you, not for you to try to escape through it.
You see, open doors are not a good enough way to guage God’s will. But, in all honesty, circumstances are really the strongest way God chooses. They are strong, but they aren’t good enough. So we try fleeces, as God did with Gideon. Let’s turn to that story. Judges 6:36-40. Now, you can make a case as to whether Gideon was trusting or un-trusting. But there are a number of problems with fleeces.
#1 – It might be coincidence. They are known to happen. Even if God has everything in His hands, still, some things happen that you will never find a reason for. If you rely too much on that, you’ll get lost.
#2 – Your request might be a substitute or a distraction for obedience. You may already know what God wants, and you don’t want to do it, or at least not yet. So putting God to this test may not be a question of faith but an issue of disobedience.
#3 – You may ask something ridiculous. You may ask for a miracle, as Gideon did. Now, it’s not that God can’t or won’t do miracles. But if you make Him do a miracle before you obey, it’s not a matter of faith. It’s a matter of walking by sight, not by faith. And, what’s more, it’s almost blackmailing God to do what you want. “I’ll do this if You do this.” That’s pretty arrogant.
So, a fleece worked for Gideon, but I don’t recommend it. So what else is left? Well, I want to show you what I’ve come to see in the Bible of how the early apostles determined what to do. And it’s gonna seem to simple you’ll kick yourself. They prayed. And then they did what they thought was right.
Now, yes, Henry Blackaby was correct when he wrote in his book Experiencing God: “God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.” God uses the Bible as general guidelines. Unfortunately, a lot of our decisions – where to live, whom to marry, what job to have – aren’t in there. So we keep looking. Circumstances are certainly a big help, as I’ve said, and a lot of times they’ll answer some questions. Getting slapped when you propose is an answer to “is she the one?”
And yes, God uses the church. But sometimes the church is just plain wrong. Even the majority, sometimes, is wrong. So what to do? Well, pray. Take your need to the Lord. Take your concern to the Lord. Tell Him you’re willing to do anything He tells you. Mean it when you pray it. And then get up and do what you feel is best. That’s the Holy Spirit guiding you to do the right thing. It was the missionary Amy Carmichael, who offered a wise prayer: “Holy Spirit — think through me, till Your ideas are my ideas.”
It seems that this is how they ran things in the NT. The scripture I read earlier, 2 Cor.2, said it. God opened a door, Paul had no peace of mind, so he left. He based his decision not in circumstances, but the feeling he had, which I have no doubt was fueled by prayer.
Look at these passages in Acts. Acts 15:28. Now, this was an important decision. What new believers could do and couldn’t do. It would affect the church drastically. The church leaders went on their gut instincts, which, knowing the habits of the early church, were fueled by prayer. The decision seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us. That is, it made sense to us, and the Holy Spirit didn’t seem to mind, either. Interesting. No lightning bolt or voice, just a feeling.
Acts 13:1-4. The Holy Spirit spoke to them in prayer, and said that Paul and Barnabas would be the ones to go. OK, that’s speaking thru prayer. But then, v4 seems to indicate that they had a feeling to go where they did. They were sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, but it’s not clear the Holy Spirit told them the way to go. It seems that it was a feeling, a conviction, fueled by prayer.
Acts 16:6-10. The Spirit stopped them. They tried to go one way, but they were stopped. How? I don’t know. Other times in Acts, it says that people prevented them from going to a place, but this was the Spirit. I think it was a feeling, not an actual circumstance, that stopped them from going their way. And then, the guidance came through a vision.
One more: Acts 22:20-22. Paul is going to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit. The Spirit is leading him there. The Spirit had already said that prisons and hardships awaited Paul in every town he went to, but he still went. The Spirit warning him was obviously not the Spirit forbidding him. The Spirit’s guidance does not always lead us to the easiest route. The Spirit warned him, but the Spirit also compelled him.
It seems to me that the way that God spoke to the NT apostles was through prayer and then through feelings. Maybe logic, maybe common sense, whatever. It seems that the apostles prayed, and then did what they saw best.
I know that over the years, lots of people have done things, saying that God told them to, and then it ended up messy. I know it has happened. I’ve done it. But that doesn’t make it not real. Be humble. Don’t come across as a know-it-all. Don’t say that God told to do everything you do. Don’t rub your faith in someone’s nose. But, the moral is, pray. Be sincere. Commit your life to do. Tell Him you’ll do whatever He wants. And the feeling that you get when you pray, act on it, believing that it’s God’s plan for you.
