“Go down to the shop where clay pots and jars are made. I will speak to you while you are there.” Jeremiah 18:2 NLT
In order to hear a word from God we have to meet God on His terms. God will go to extreme measures to reach one of His children, but to hear from God requires us to be in a listening position with God. In the life of a believer, for example, sin can hinder our relationship with God, as other relationships are hindered by infractions in the relationship, and that broken fellowship can keep us from hearing God when He speaks. Our own busyness and the normal distractions of life can also keep us from hearing God.
God wanted to speak to Jeremiah and He was going to use pottery as a part of His discussion. Sometimes God will use situations in our life to gain our attention and illustrate for us His agenda. You and I, if we want to hear from God, must continually rid our lives of distractions, strive to walk in obedience with Him daily, free our life of unneeded clutter, slow down long enough to listen for the voice of God, and watch and listen for God’s voice in the midst of the normal routine and places of life.
God is not trying to hide His voice from you or me. In fact, if we aren’t hearing when God speaks, it’s most likely because we aren’t listening. Let’s do whatever it takes to hear the voice of God. He has great things for us to know. He sees the path before us and He wants to lead us down it within His will. Let’s listen!
What’s the biggest distraction in your life from spending time alone with God?
Just getting caught up on this. First, thank you for doing it! Second, "Sometimes God will use situations in our life to gain our attention and illustrate for us His agenda." – The last 48 hours have been for me the perfect example of this. I'm still processing what happened, but this is just confirmation that my thoughts are heading in the right direction, like a post-it from God. : )
For me it's feeling alone; not in the sense that He's not there, but in physical human terms. God is sufficient for all my needs, but…there's always a but…He didn't make me an angel or some other spiritual being, He made me a man with normal human desires and needs and some of them can only really be fulfilled at that level. God gives me strength to go on when those needs aren't met by those around me who should be meeting them, but the emptiness and loneliness is real and, I think, does affect me. Sometimes you just need the touch of your wife; which in my case is almost never. Sometimes you need someone close to you to see your pain and offer to just listen; happens sometimes. Occasionally you need your work associates and bosses to see the quality that you bring to the job and give you a meaningful attaboy, which comes very seldom.
I feel that it's my job, my duty to provide these same things to my wife and family and coworkers and I am happy to play that role, but at the end of the day when I am tired and spent, I sometimes look to Him and ask if it's ever my turn; who is there to comfort me and take some of my burdens? My guess is that you are thinking… well, that's His job. And you are right, but as I said at the start, sometimes you just need, for example, your wife's touch and that's something that's hard to find elsewhere.
The point of this rambling post is that I seek Him daily in my life, and would like to get that direct word from Him, but would also appreciate that special human interaction that we all need from those around us and that seems hard to come by even though I try to give that same thing. And that lack, after awhile, does make it hard to spend quality time alone listening for a word that I'm not sure will come. Perhaps it's just my impatience or that these other negative feelings keep me from hearing.
Jon, I love your honesty and transparency also. It sounds like some of the earthly relationships (particularly one) are distractions in hearing from God. I've experienced that many times. It makes it harder to hear from God, but I wonder if those aren't times God is trying harder to hold us close. It is interesting that many of the times God spoke to people in the Bible they were alone….removed from the presence of others.
My biggest struggle in hearing Gods voice is my own lack of wanting to die to flesh. I’m so much “happier” in sin than listening to God…not. when I give myself over to sin and flesh I can’t hear God the way I should. Being so occupied with me doesn’t allow me to hear God. What I do hear is His beckoning me to the house where the pots and jars are made. And I love being in that place with Him. So long self!
And I agree, thanks for this late night devo. I couldn’t wait to sit down with my phone before bed to see what you were going to write tonight. Been thinking about it all day. Thanks Ron.
Love the honesty…"I'm so much happier in sin than listening to God"…wow, that's a fresh approach. I think reaching that reality with who we really are is the first step to surrendering all to Him.
Poor health in me and my family. Though at times I think that this same "distraction" causes me to hear God on certain issues that I wouldn't have otherwise. i.e. when you are in poor health you spend a lot of time alone, and that can be with God. But that is not the same as what you are bringing out here from Jer. 18. Listening for God's voice needs to be incorporated into a healthy life – "active" purposeful listening. (God is helping and healing us – been a long road) Thanks Pastor Ron for this new late night devotional
Thanks Kevin. Praying for you, but I do agree, sometimes when we are forced to bow our heads we are more likely to pray!