The Voice
“Call to me and I
will answer you and show you
great and unsearchable
things you do not know.”
– Jeremiah 33:3
It was the inner voice that I heard while the pastor was doing benediction. I was attending Watch Night Service on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1999. I was in the army, working at the Ministry of National Defense in South Korea. Since I heard the voice, I was expectantly waiting for “great and unsearchable things.” And about two months later, God showed me and sent me to East Timor where a civil war broke out as the UN Peacekeeping Forces. As I look back, that was the turning point of my life. There I began to experience God who speaks to me.
Eric Liddle, Olympic gold medalist and missionary, famously said, “I believe God made me for a purpose. (But) he also made me fast! And when I run, I feel his pleasure!” Seniors, and brothers and sisters in Christ, have you found your purpose in life? Do you experience God who speaks? God is always at work around us. God invites us to join him in his work. God speaks through any and every means possible, but there are three guaranteed channels through which we can listen to God.
The Bible
First, God speaks to us through
the Bible. There are two different Greek words used for the word of God –
one is logos, and the other is rhema. Logos is the written
word, recorded in the Bible. When we read the written word, we can learn about
God objectively and know his ways and his salvation. This is a wonderful thing.
But there is more! We can know God on a personal level and experience God who
personally speaks to us. That is rhema – instant, personal speaking of
God.
For example, when I just started a ministry as a student pastor in Boston, I was discouraged. I worked hard, but the young adults ministry was not fruitful. The leaders I trained were caught up in a love triangle, and some of them left the church. One particular Sunday afternoon after the service I was about to throw in the towel. I went into the young adult room, fell to my knees, and wept. Then there was a voice: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, [and no one is going to attack and harm you], because I have many students in this city.” (cf. Acts 18:9-10) After this, there was revival.
Reading the Bible (logos) is like storing up the water in the reservoir. The more we store it up in us by meditating on it and memorizing it, the more God can speak instant words (rhema) to us.
Prayer
Second, God speaks to us through
prayer. Prayer is a two-way conversation with God: we talk, and God talks.
I was at the crossroads in my senior year of college. There were three or four paths I wanted to pursue – lawyer, UN staff, professor, and pastor. At that time I sensed God was calling me into ministry. But I was hesitant. That summer I attended a youth camp as one of the teachers. At the end of the evening service there was a communal prayer time. I was praying for each student in my group. I prayed that they might know Christ and discover God’s purpose in their lives. While praying, I heard the inner voice saying, “My son, I want you.”
We often hear people say they can pray at all times. I don’t know about you, but for me, when I neglect my fixed hour of prayer (i.e. early morning prayer time), most of the time I end in praying at no time. I find myself so easily distracted and preoccupied with other things for the rest of the day. If you are like me, I exhort you to set aside time for prayer daily. Start small – five minutes a day every day. Go for short and consistent instead of long and infrequent. And you will be surprised that God is actually talkative.
The Church
Third, God speaks to us through
the church. Yes, the church can be messy. I’ve seen all kinds of brokenness
in the church. There was a time I left church because I was tired of broken
people and problems. But about six months later, I came back to church
because I realized that the church is God’s idea. I realized that God’s
greatest gift is the church. It was God who gave birth to his church through
Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection. God is really among us when we
gather. God blesses us and speaks to us through the church.
I heard about one young man who was really struggling. He had come to faith in Christ, but he just found himself drifting away, drifting in doubts and difficulties and losing his faith. And he went to see a wise older man, who lived in a cottage, and there was a fire, a coal fire. And as they were discussing — this young man told this older man about what was going on in his life — the older man didn’t say anything. But he just went to the fire and he took a red-hot coal, with tongs, out of the fire, and he put it on the hearth. And as the young man talked, he just allowed that coal to go from red-hot to black, dark. And then he got the tongs again and he put the coal back in the fire, and within a few minutes the coal was red-hot again. He didn’t need to say anything. The young man left knowing exactly why his faith had gone dull.[1]
So wherever you go, I strongly encourage you to find a church and be a functioning member of the body. Be a blessing to them and you will be blessed.
Wilderness Journey
In the wilderness a map is no use because the geography of the wilderness constantly changes because of the wind.
What we need is a compass that always points north. Life is a wilderness
journey. It’s full of unknowns and challenges. We need a spiritual compass
that always points to God and faithfully draws us closer to God – the Bible,
prayer, and the church.
Seniors, are you ready for your new adventure? Have you got a spiritual compass with you? For your upcoming journey, our church prepared a little gift. Each of you will be given a “compass” as a reminder, a Bible, a prayer shawl (blanket), and a card representing the church. May God bless you and keep you and speak to you always. Amen.
[1]
Alpha Course, “What About the Church?”
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