GOD IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER

Ever since the creation of the Universe, there have been men and women who have heard the voice of God.  Adam and Eve heard Him in the Garden; Noah heard the Lord's instructions to build an ark; Moses heard Him of and on over forty years, from the time of the Exodus, until Moses died overlooking the "Promised Land."  The prophets heard Him; kings, both Gentile, and those of Israel, heard Him.  And, even though these heard Him, the Bible says no man has ever seen the Father (Jn. 1:18; 1 Jn. 4:12).  Here are just a few examples from the "Skip's Lighthouse Version":
   *  Deuteronomy 4:12 - "And the LORD spoke unto you out of the midst of the fire:  you heard the voice of the words, but you did not see Him; you heard only a voice."
   *  1 Kings 19:12-13 - "And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.  And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood at the entrance of the cave.  And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What are you doing here, Elijah?"
   *  Luke 3:22 - "And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, You are My beloved Son; in Whom I am well pleased."
   *  Acts 9:4-5 - "And Saul fell to the ground, and he heard a voice of Jesus saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?"

Although I am certainly not a prophet, a priest, a king, or an apostle, I have been blessed to have heard God a handful of times over my forty-five years as a born again believer.  All of them were during times of spiritual stress!  With the situation included, here they are:
   *  Situation:  I was depressed because I felt I lacked the love believers should have.  While I was weeping over the sudden death of a young father of three that had just occurred leaving his widow destitute, I heard the Lord say, "You wanted to love as I love; this is what My kind of love feels like; I will help you grow in love in due time!"
   *  Situation:  While I was weeping over one of my daughter's unwed pregnancy, and struggling with anger, grief, and utter sadness, I heard the Lord say, "Jesus wept!"  I knew He was letting me know He understood!
   *  Situation:  Struggling with learning Greek for seminary, I was ready to give up.  I felt led to open an Our Daily Bread Devotional, and I heard God say the same thing three times:  "Turn to September second."  Finally, when I did, the title was "God's Love Softens Hearts."  I immediately remembered that on that day, I had had an emotional breakdown in a chapel service, and didn't know at that time, why.  I realized it was God softening my heart, for I had been distraught over having to attend a liberal seminary instead of a wonderful Bible teaching seminary too far away for me to commute.
   *  Situation:  I lost my temper in a group exercise when one "jerk" refused to cooperate with the rest of us; he thought it was funny to sabotage our need for a unanimous decision.  The Lord told me later, "As much as possible, get alone with all men."  He was letting me know this guy was clearly the exception!
   *  Situation:  I had been called to pastor a church, but my wife refused to go.  I awoke from a nap and heard the Lord say, "You go and let her come on the weekends."  It was not until later I realized it had to be the Lord, because if it was my own thought, it would have been in first person: "I'll go and she can come on the weekends."

 

Listen for the voice of God; He is no respecter of persons! 

What He has done for a "scoundrel like me," He can do for you!