I find it sobering that one of the best biblical examples of successful ministry looks so different from my efforts. I’m probably not unusual in my preparation for speaking or leading a Bible study. Some messages take me several hours of Bible reading, research, and prayer before I am even ready to compile my rough […]
Problems arise when we stop seeking God for ourselves and expect someone else to seek Him for us. That was the situation with a party of Jews shortly after Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah tells us that these Jews, under the leadership of Johanan, wanted out. They were convinced that Egypt would be a safe […]
Continuing to talk while someone else is speaking is generally considered bad manners—unless you are in a position of authority. God certainly qualifies. He cut off Samuel, ignored his question, and proceeded to lay out His instructions. God talks over us sometimes. Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, […]
Voice recognition software is the bane of my life. Whenever I reach an answering service that requires me to speak my requests, I know I am doomed. My British accent inevitably stumps the machine: “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand your response. Let’s try again.” Many times I have tried to confirm a flight to London […]
Personal faith rarely depends on one item of “evidence.” Rather our faith is like a planet in a solar system, held in orbit by the gravitational pull of a sun and other planets. It balances between several things that we find compelling. Each supports our faith to a different degree. Scripture is vitally important. One […]
What we call God’s “silence” is sometimes a consequence of selective hearing. King Saul’s situation at the end of his life is unique and extreme, but it illustrates a point about hearing the voice of God. After a series of disobedient acts, Saul languished in spiritual silence. Philistines attacked him and God held His tongue. […]
Israel often moaned about her wilderness campsites. The people were especially upset at Kadesh. Thinking they would die there of thirst, they expressed the deepest unbelief—an expectation, even a desire for death. Faced with a parched and unproductive desert-scape, they chose to believe only what their eyes told them. Unbelief sees the visible; faith sees […]
Paul tells us that Old Testament events happened as examples for us and were recorded for our instruction.1 Hebrews 3:7-14 is the end of a trail of Scriptures. The writer quotes Psalm 95:7-11, which served to remind Israel about hardened hearts during their earliest years as a nation: “Today if you hear His voice, Do […]
Revival—personal and global—includes an end to spiritual silence. The more that people hear and follow the voice of God, the more God’s kingdom rule extends. Samuel is a fine example of the simplicity of hearing God; his situation also explains why hearing can become dull. Samuel was born into a spiritually silent world; God seldom […]
When God emphasizes something five times, we should pay attention.1 In a world of dumb and impotent idols, Yahweh stressed that He has no form. Rather, His people know Him through what He does and says. It helped make the relationship between God and Israel unique. What great nation is there that has a god […]