Day 2: Listening To God: "I Am Who I Am"
Read: Exodus 3:13 - 15
Occasionally, there come those times in life when we simply do not
trust what we have heard. Something is said, our ears pick it up, but we
don’t quite trust it. We don’t know whether we really heard what we
thought we heard. Or we don’t know whether to believe what we heard. Or
maybe we don’t know enough to be able to trust the speaker. Or, deeper
yet, we don’t know how to begin to interpret what we heard. There are
all those times when we do not personally know who we are supposed to hear.
God is carrying on a deeply personal conversation with Moses!! God to
man like they were somehow related to each other. And Moses is listening
very intently. Moses desires to hear just how one known only as "I Am
that I am" is going to be received by Joshua, Joseph, Merriam; all
the regular every day people struggling in Egypt. Moses: "Give me a name they'll know!"
Now, a step
further. If I were to ask you whether you trust what you hear from God,
what would you say? Some of you would focus on the Bible, and you would
say that, yes, you do trust the Bible, you can hear the Bible. But can
you hear "I AM that I AM"? Who among us has ever heard and
recognized the actual the voice of of "I AM that I AM"? Again, I ask you
whether you trust what you hear from God, how would you say? How would you consider answering?
Many focus on prayer. Prayer is a way to hear the voice of God if we are
patient enough with ourselves as we wait. However, I know by experience
we can and do deceive ourselves. Prayer may not always get you a
trustworthy answer. I have been known to misinterpret what I genuinely, strongly
felt was God's sure and true response. I offer to you an a truly bold
answer. My answer: Practice listening to yourself. Practice listening to your very own hearts within you.
There is a way of listening to ourselves that is also listening to the voice of God. There is a way to hear our hearts that is trustworthy. It is a way of
listening to God. It is possible so to develop the habits of the heart
that we are able, in listening to inside of ourselves, to listen also to
our God speak. Lord, What must we do to truly listen?
God's response:
The first requirement if you will hear God’s voice and hear it as
authentic is simply to be available. To be open. To be ready for
whatever God might share, wherever God might lead. The happiest people I
know are the ones who are willing to listen to trust something new. "I
must turn aside ...Here I am." “Here I am.” Speak, Lord, I'll listen!
Real listening . . authentic listening . . always involves real,
authentic accountability.
At some point in the process of
listening to ourselves and exploring who we are, we have to ask, "Who am
I and what shall I do’?" When we do hear what God's answer is we then
respond to our call to make a difference. Here is the really tricky part
to discerning ours versus God's response: Our response: Nod your head
and agree - do next to zero about it. God's sure response: We are
empowered so we decisively act upon it. We are who we are trying to
remain true to our hearts as I AM who I AM is.
Pray: Psalm 51
"God speak to me that I may listen and obey. God, speak to my heart that
it may be cleansed re created in Your image. Renew a steadfast spirit
within me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vtxpkJmxkA
Here I am Lord- Lyrics
www.youtube.com
Here I am Lord w/ lyrics. Hope you enjoy! And please subscribe and comment! :)
Read: Exodus 3:13 - 15
Occasionally, there come those times in life when we simply do not trust what we have heard. Something is said, our ears pick it up, but we don’t quite trust it. We don’t know whether we really heard what we thought we heard. Or we don’t know whether to believe what we heard. Or maybe we don’t know enough to be able to trust the speaker. Or, deeper yet, we don’t know how to begin to interpret what we heard. There are all those times when we do not personally know who we are supposed to hear.
God is carrying on a deeply personal conversation with Moses!! God to man like they were somehow related to each other. And Moses is listening very intently. Moses desires to hear just how one known only as "I Am that I am" is going to be received by Joshua, Joseph, Merriam; all the regular every day people struggling in Egypt. Moses: "Give me a name they'll know!"
Now, a step further. If I were to ask you whether you trust what you hear from God, what would you say? Some of you would focus on the Bible, and you would say that, yes, you do trust the Bible, you can hear the Bible. But can you hear "I AM that I AM"? Who among us has ever heard and recognized the actual the voice of of "I AM that I AM"? Again, I ask you whether you trust what you hear from God, how would you say? How would you consider answering?
Many focus on prayer. Prayer is a way to hear the voice of God if we are patient enough with ourselves as we wait. However, I know by experience we can and do deceive ourselves. Prayer may not always get you a trustworthy answer. I have been known to misinterpret what I genuinely, strongly felt was God's sure and true response. I offer to you an a truly bold answer. My answer: Practice listening to yourself. Practice listening to your very own hearts within you.
There is a way of listening to ourselves that is also listening to the voice of God. There is a way to hear our hearts that is trustworthy. It is a way of listening to God. It is possible so to develop the habits of the heart that we are able, in listening to inside of ourselves, to listen also to our God speak. Lord, What must we do to truly listen?
God's response:
The first requirement if you will hear God’s voice and hear it as authentic is simply to be available. To be open. To be ready for whatever God might share, wherever God might lead. The happiest people I know are the ones who are willing to listen to trust something new. "I must turn aside ...Here I am." “Here I am.” Speak, Lord, I'll listen! Real listening . . authentic listening . . always involves real, authentic accountability.
At some point in the process of listening to ourselves and exploring who we are, we have to ask, "Who am I and what shall I do’?" When we do hear what God's answer is we then respond to our call to make a difference. Here is the really tricky part to discerning ours versus God's response: Our response: Nod your head and agree - do next to zero about it. God's sure response: We are empowered so we decisively act upon it. We are who we are trying to remain true to our hearts as I AM who I AM is.
Pray: Psalm 51 "God speak to me that I may listen and obey. God, speak to my heart that it may be cleansed re created in Your image. Renew a steadfast spirit within me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vtxpkJmxkA
Here I am Lord- Lyrics
www.youtube.com
Here I am Lord w/ lyrics. Hope you enjoy! And please subscribe and comment! :)
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