Title: What Did You Say? / Topic: Hearing God's Voice

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 5; Jeremiah 6; John 12

Scripture: John 12:27-29
27 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!"
Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

Observation: I want to hear God's voice clearly all the time. These verses give an example of Father God speaking audibly to Jesus and his followers that were around him (I infer these were followers because they were a part of the crowd that had come out to worship and praise him as he entered Jerusalem) but having different levels of hearing God's voice. To some it just sounded like thunder. Though words were spoken by God, they were unintelligible to the people who heard it. Still others heard the words intelligibly enough that they knew it was a supernatural voice from heaven; they attributed it to an angel instead of Father God, but that was probasbly because it fit their paradigm better.

Application: I learn from these verses that I must grow in my ablity to hear God's voice. Sometimes there will be clarity; at other times communication that is unintelligible to me. What makes the difference? As I learn about God through reading His Word, I will understand the kinds of things He says and will be able to discern His voice better. As I pray and practice times of quieting my soul to listen to His Spirit, I will grow in my ability to hear His voice clearly. I must continue seeking to grow in this as I do other areas of spiritual growth. He desires to speak clearly to me. I must grow in the disciplines that will allow me to become one who hears with clarity and not as one who hears thunder.

Prayer: Father, in this world of noise and distraction it is so hard to embrace the discipline of solitude. Help me to learn to quiet my soul and my mind so that I may hear what You are saying. Your instruction and leading are more important to me than anything Lord. I so need Your help in this because I have such a short attention span and am so easily distracted. My heart is willing but my flesh is weak! Be my strength in this area of weakness as You promised in Your Word. Thank You.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.