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Tuesday, 20 July 2021
To hear and understand

In the Torah we learn how God trained the children of Israel to respond to His commands. The commands were simple, go forth or stay put. God was teaching His people to respond to Him. His means of communication were the cloud by day (and pillar of fire by night) and the silver trumpets (one or two, long or short). Today, we are not in one camp, but we are still one people of one God.

As God's people, we must be able to hear His voice. Psalm 28:1 "Of David. To You, Adonai, I call -- my Rock, do not be deaf to me. If You were silent to me, I would become like those going down to the Pit." According to King David, God both hears us and answers us. God speaks to us today in many ways, but we must always be ready to listen. Deuteronomy 6:4 starts "Hear, O Israel." The syntax could be "Oh Israel, hear God, the Lord is One."

First, God speaks to us through His word. Has the word of God (the Bible text) ever jumped off the page and into your heart? Hint - If you belong to Him, answer "Yes." God also speaks to us directly. This is called His "rhema" word. This is a personal word spoken to individuals or groups that can take on many forms. The important thing to remember is that God's spoken (rhema) word will never contradict His written word (the Bible).

Also, when receiving a word from God (of any kind) be sure to pray over it, meditate upon it, and always ask God for confirmation. There are many biblical examples of this. Notably, Peter had a vision of unkosher animals on a sheet ... Acts 10:17a "Now while Peter was puzzling about what the vision he had seen might mean" - I don't really like the TLV on this: Peter was meditating on the vision he had received.

We should be seeking the will of our Father in heaven, who has promised that His own Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. Can we do any better than that?

Posted By Rabbi Michael Weiner, 10:00am Comment Comments: 0