During this LEARNING TO HEAR series I’m taking a different approach to these devotionals. I want to us work harder at searching the scriptures for ourselves. We will use the ‘Come to Jesus Daily’ method below to help us with this. It’s well worth the hard work involved!
TODAY’S TEXT
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” (Isaiah 30:21)
I’ve included my reflections on today’s text below. However, I encourage you to pray and spend time reflecting (writing can be helpful) using the 5 questions below before reading my thoughts.
i. †GOSPEL - 'Gaze on the cross'- What does this text reveal about salvation through Jesus?
ii. UP – What does this text say about God – His worth, character, attributes, will, promises…?
iii. IN – What does this say about me, the church and how we are to relate? Is there a promise to believe, command to do, attitude to have, something to avoid, is there forgiveness to seek or give?
iv. OUT – What does this say about my community and mission?
v. DO - This has two components. Firstly, list as many possible ways that you can think of that one might apply the text (actions or attitudes). Secondly, hear - Pray about how the Holy Spirit is leading you, specifically, to respond.
MY REFLECTIONS
1. †GOSPEL
This prophecy is pointing to the New Covenant that God would give to His people in Christ. It’s pointing to what Jeremiah prophesied,
“This is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)
Christians have been made alive by the Spirit. They have the law of God written on their hearts. They listen to God and want to obey Him.
2. UP
God speaks. God directs our lives. God will reveal His will to us if we are willing to listen.
3. IN
God’s people had become rebellious and refused to listen to Him. We read of them earlier in this chapter,
“‘Woe to the obstinate children,’ declares the Lord, ‘to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;” (Isaiah 30:1)
“For these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.” (Isaiah 30:9)
This is a warning to all of us. May we be those who listen to the voice of God and walk in His paths.
The decisions that we make are to be according to God’s voice - His will. This comes to us in a number of ways:
We, principally, hear His voice in His word - the Bible. It shows us the kind of people that God wants us to be. Oftentimes, we don’t know what particular decision to make - this or that job? Move or stay? Etc. But we know, the way within the way; we know how to live - the sort of person that God wants us to be - within the choices that we make.
However, there are times when God does want us to take a particular course of action. He promises that we will ‘hear a voice behind you, saying this is the way; walk in it.’ We will hear His voice through a convicting scripture, a word of prophecy, inner conviction, dreams and visions…
4. OUT
If we are listening to God, we will be the sort of people that reach our community for Jesus. We will be in the right place and the right time with the right character to help them on their journey of faith.
5. DO? - Here are a few examples of application that I’ve come up with:
As we go through the day, are we mindful and attentive so as to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit?
If we are not devoted to Bible intake, we do not have the attitude that God wants. A serious desire to hear God’s voice will be attended by a serious devotion to scripture.
HEAR - Pray about how the Holy Spirit might want you to respond.
COMMUNITY GROUP STUDY
