“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20).

The subject of the Chaplain’s Corner last week was about how God hears our voices. On the opposite side of the coin, how do we distinguish God’s voice from the multitude of voices that we hear continuously, either from an external or an internal source? How can we recognize when it is really God who is speaking? Jesus used the metaphor of a shepherd when he said in John 10:17 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

First, we must want to hear Him. This reminds me of an issue between my husband and me. Sometimes I get lost in thought and don’t even hear my husband talking when he’s right next to me. I tell him he needs to get my attention before starting to speak. And I have accused my husband of hearing only what he wants to hear (he actually grins when I tell him that). God speaks to us, and if we want to be sure not to miss any messages, we must get our hearts in a position to hear. That position is figuratively, and perhaps literally, on our knees. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Second, we can rule out anything we hear that is opposing His will. How do we know what His will is? We must know what the Bible says. Foundational to being able to recognize when it is really God who is speaking is to have a good knowledge of the Bible. Read your Bible. Pray to God to help you understand His Word. Participate in Bible studies whenever you have a chance. Read good commentaries. In this way we will learn what is godly and what is not. God will never contradict Himself, so if you hear a voice telling you something that differs from God’s Word, then it is not from God.  “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Sometimes we hear conflicting voices; perhaps we are faced with a choice and are hearing voices advocating for both sides. How do we know? If one of the choices has elements of opposition to God’s will, then we should rule it out, or at the very least defer the decision until we can get more information. For example, I know that many of you have entertained multiple job offers and have ruled out jobs that would require you to be subjected to an ungodly environment. That is probably wise. Perhaps you are dating two people, one of which is not a believer. Knowing that the Bible tells us not to be unequally yoked, you discontinue dating the nonbeliever. That is very wise. Sometimes both choices are equally good, and in that case then either one should be okay.  Just evaluate the pros and cons, consulting wise and godly advisors if possible.

On that note, we can also hear God’s voice as God speaks through other people. “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22). The test is to filter what you hear from through God’s Word to ensure that it is consistent.

Third, it helps to avoid noise. Two helpful definitions of noise are from Webster: (b) any sound that is undesired or interferes with one’s hearing of something and (e) irrelevant or meaningless data or output occurring along with desired information. My husband cannot tolerate static. He’s always tuning the radio to eliminate that unwelcome noise. It’s good for us to do the same. Okay, sometimes it’s very difficult to avoid noise. When I walk downtown, I can’t avoid the noise of traffic and construction and I don’t believe the solution is to avoid walking downtown. However, if the noise is coming from questionable music or television or movies and I have a choice to listen to something else more edifying, then I should make that choice to eliminate it or at least to tune out the trash. Have you heard the term “garbage in, garbage out?”

Click here for a great article on how to quiet your mind. God tells us to “be still and know that I am God” because he often speaks to us in a whisper, or as the KJV puts it, a “still small voice.” It is essential for our spiritual health to be alone and have quiet time with God so that we can hear Him.

Fourth, speaking of edifying which means building up, God’s voice will always be constructive with a goal of building His kingdom. We can know that destructive messages are not from God. Sometimes the most noise comes from inside my own head. I can come up with some really destructive messages. (Do you ever call yourself ugly names?) It’s very difficult just to be quiet inside your own head, but you can replace those destructive messages with constructive ones if you consciously try. It helps to have some “go-to” Bible verses to recite to yourself when your mind is especially going wild. In this way, you can be confident that you are concentrating, perhaps even meditating, on God’s Word rather than destructive messages, whether they are internal or external. This will have a positive effect on you. For example, I often tell myself to “take every thought captive” when the voices in my mind begin to be overpowering. When I am fearful, reciting Psalm 23 is most comforting, because despite the seemingly pastoral setting, shepherding, as David knew from his own experience, could be a dangerous and lonely occupation.

Fifth, and possibly the most challenging situation I face is when I do not hear God’s voice. He may not be telling me to wait, but He’s not telling me to go forward either; it seems that he’s just not saying anything. My inclination is to take the absence of direction as a yes and to take action according to my own inclination, but I’ve learned the hard way that I should have probably done the opposite and continue to wait during His silence. For one thing, if we are truly obedient in listening, then we need to realize that God is being intentional in His silence. And for another thing, there are important messages, even in the apparent silence. The regularity of the daily schedule of sunrises and sunsets speak of God’s faithfulness. Birds sing of God’s provision. Storms boom God’s power. God is surely at work, whether or not we sense his presence or hear his voice. When we don’t readily hear God’s voice or sense His direction, we should be ever more diligent to put ourselves in a right position to be able to hear Him, because He will never fail to direct our paths. Click here for another article on what to do in this case (I especially love #4).

Finally, here is an important warning:  When we ignore God’s voice repeatedly, through disobedience our hearts can become hardened so that we will become deaf to his word.  In Matthew 13:15, Jesus said of the Pharisees, and indeed all the unbelieving people: “For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.” (Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 6:10). One of the scariest scriptures in the Bible is when Jesus said, “I never knew you.”As I mentioned in last week’s Chaplain’s Corner, when my grandson Judah heard his Daddy’s voice, he turned and listened. I pray that you will do the same when you hear your Father speak.

I pray that Jesus will say of each of us, as he does to his disciples in Matthew 13:16-17: ^“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

In Christ,

Judy

Have you ever noticed the peculiar ability we have to recognize voices of our family, even in a crowd? As a mother, I could always distinguish when it was my child hollering “Mama.” Even now, when my children are grown, my heart beats faster when I hear either of my sons’ voices. It’s as if my heart is reaching out to connect to them. So it was especially neat when, one Saturday at the soccer field as he was at goalie position, I saw our grandson Judah jerk his head around as his dad spoke from the sidelines.  In the midst of all the shouting and general noise of the soccer field, I knew that Judah had recognized his Daddy’s voice and perked up to hear what he had to say.

I believe that typically it takes extensive familiarity for this phenomenon to occur.  With our families, we have lived together for some time and are used to the conversation and all the various tones of our voices. These voices become ingrained in us even when we are apart.  It’s like being on the same frequency, and it’s certainly a special bond.

I believe that it’s also like that with our Heavenly Father, when we know him and are attuned to Him.

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy”(Psalm 11:1). David is offering a song of thanksgiving following a dark time in his life. (Verse 6 of this Psalm reads: “I was facing death, and he saved me,” and verse 17 reads, “I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.”) In Psalm 66:19, David claimed “But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” David knew that God not only heard, but he attended, or acted upon, David’s prayer according to his will.

David knew that the Lord would hear his voice when he called out to him, just like my children did when they realized they needed something and cried out for their mama or daddy.  Even in the clamor of crowds, God can distinguish our cries from the multitude when we call upon Him according to His will.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I pray you will find comfort in that fact, as expressed in these verses:

1 Peter 3:12a “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.”

1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

First John 5:15 “And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

And just as God hears us when we call out to him, He wants us to hear him. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Next week we will explore how we can best hear God’s voice and make that communication two-way. Meanwhile, continue to call out to Jesus because He hears your voice and will answer your prayers.

In Christ,

Judy

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (1 Peter 1:3-6)

As I roam the Mission and have the pleasure of speaking with so many of you, I hear some amazing stories about your own personal experiences—what God has brought you through or what you are currently dealing with. I can’t help but be amazed at your capacity and ability to persevere. However, I know that sometimes you feel that there is no solution, no way out, and that you will never be able to climb out of the situation that you are currently in. I remember feeling that way myself at one time and becoming quite seriously depressed.

Here are some lessons I have learned along the way (not in any particular order):

1. It’s okay to talk to God about your feelings. His shoulders are very broad. Even Job cursed the day of his birth and asked God, “Why didn’t I die at birth, my first breath out of the womb my last?” (Job 3:11) Job certainly had suffered unimaginable losses, but God did not retaliate against Job for his complaints; in fact, God eventually restored Job’s fortunes.

2. It’s okay to ask others for help. This was one of my problems—I wouldn’t ask for help. My pride just got in the way of me admitting I needed any help, so in the process I alienated people closest to me which created other problems. I certainly don’t think any less of my friends and family who ask me for help and am honored to be part of their lives in this way. I regret that I didn’t enlist support when I needed it and missed those opportunities for community.

3. It’s also okay to be wise about the help that you accept. True help should be unconditional and it should be God-honoring. True help will not compound your problems like a high-interest loan, breaking the law, or fostering unhealthy behavior will.

4. Even though you may be really pushed for time, regularly make time for yourself and for God. If you don’t, you soon won’t be good for anyone else. You must prioritize your physical and your spiritual health with rest, eating well, and spending time with God in prayer and Bible reading. I also know from personal experience that this is true. And remember, these are things that no one else can do for you; you must do them for yourself!

5. When you pray, acknowledge God’s authority and His provision. When I do this, it helps me to put everything into its proper perspective. When Job cried out to God in Chapter 3, and continued his complaints against God in subsequent chapters, God then answered Job in Chapters 38-41, an amazing passage reminding us of the authority, majesty, and power of God Himself. Job’s response to God in Job 42:1-6: “I know now that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”

6. My last bit of practical advice: Take some time to analyze your situation.

a. List the challenges you are facing.

b. Prioritize them if possible, either by importance or ease of dealing with.

c. Figure out what has to be done first and set goals each day for what you can get done that day. Maybe it’s a phone call, or maybe it’s researching some information to act on. Try to make a positive step forward each day, even if it’s a tiny one.

Remember, all you can do is all you can do. (Remember the riddle, “How do you eat an elephant?” Extra credit if you comment on this post with the answer to this riddle.)

When I was at my lowest point, when my back was against the wall and I felt that I had nowhere else to turn, I finally realized that I could not deal with my challenges by my own power. Turning to God, this is how He got through to me. He spoke through a coworker. I overheard her speaking to another coworker (I guess God knew I was not going to listen to anyone directly). She quoted Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

I was immediately convicted that I needed to give it all to Jesus and he would see me through. After all, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:26-34).

I began this devotion in 1 Peter. The conclusion of that passage explains why we have trials. Everything we experience on this earth – good and bad – is intended for the praise, glory, and honor of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When we view our lives with this perspective, we can then as James says, “consider it great joy when [we} experience various trials.”

May God richly bless you in all things.

“These [trials] have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:7-9).

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Pay It Forward

I am a product of grace and mercy. Of course, I am a product of the grace of Jesus Christ; however, that’s not what I mean. I mean that I am the product of the grace shown to me by many individuals during my life.

The first example that comes to mind is from an old photograph. I don’t remember this, but I don’t doubt that it happened.  It shows me about the age of three, all dressed up and sitting on the arm of my grandmother’s couch. I am holding a kid’s toy workbench. My grandmother is smiling and reaching out to me, and I have a very grumpy look on my face that clearly says, “Leave me and my workbench alone!” (I remember this now whenever I experience something like this from any of my grandchildren.) Now I was my grandmother’s favorite (at least that is the testimony of my cousin). I know my grandmother loved me all my life, but she had ten grandchildren and she could have easily withheld her favor toward me because of the way I treated her. Thankfully, she did not.

Okay you say, you were just a small child. You didn’t know any better. Well, what about when I was about thirteen and went to a slumber party. I was thrilled to be invited. However, I suffered a bit from low esteem and jealousy, and I must say looking back that I “showed myself” at the party (this is really embarrassing to admit). The person who invited me is a good friend to this day, and I am grateful that she and her mother were so kind to me then, and now, showing grace and understanding rather than calling my parents. To this day, I consider this friend to be one of the kindest people I know.

I could go on and on with these confessions, but I’ll recall just one more. When I graduated from college, I thought that I was hot stuff. I had my diploma and thought I knew more than anyone and should therefore be able to get a big job and immediately make the big bucks. Well, that didn’t happen. My boss was an older woman with a high school education. She was an excellent manager, but I chafed under her direction and didn’t make a secret of it, either. She was, without exception, kind, helpful, and always saw the best in me and communicated a vision of what she thought I could be rather than what I so often displayed. It took me awhile, but I gradually began to live up to her vision of me. I admire her to this day and strive to be like her.

I know (hope) you are surprised by these confessions. I have mellowed and matured over the years, and just wish it hadn’t taken me as long as it did. It helps me to look back and remember all the people who poured into my life—family, friends, pastors, teachers, bosses. Of course, I have the other kind of examples in my life, too, and I have learned from them as well, but they are not who I model my life after. I sincerely hope that you can remember some of those good role models in your life who loved you and showed grace and mercy to you even when you didn’t deserve it.

This brings me to today. One of the joys I have as Chaplain is hearing your stories of interactions with guests and program participants. I love to hear how you overcome challenging situations with grace, how you deal with the most difficult clients by showing them love and mercy. I have so much admiration for you when I see how you patiently work with a man who is ravaged by his past, helping him to gain identity and the means to become a productive citizen. You may be the only Jesus he has ever seen. I am overwhelmed with joy when I hear about how you work with a fearful and destitute mother and her children to help with not only their immediate needs for food and shelter, but her longer term needs for sobriety and resources for healthy living. This is the church as Jesus meant for her to be.

I am reading the book by Bob Goff that Glenn gave us for Christmas, Everybody, Always:  Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People. He shares amazing stories of “becoming love.” In it, he says, “People don’t need information, they want examples. God wants to use people like us to show the world what we know about Jesus by having them see the way we love people around us. Particularly the difficult ones.” He goes on to say, “When we draw a circle around the whole world like grace did and say everybody is in, God’s love gives us a bigger identity than we used to have. With our newer, bigger identities, we can draw even bigger circles around people’s lives. We start to see that our time here isn’t meant to be spent forming opinions about the people we meet. It’s an opportunity to draw the kinds of circles around them that grace has drawn around us, until everybody is on the inside….God never promised we’d have all the answers. What He offers to us is a box of crayons and the opportunity to let love draw bigger circles around the people we meet than they thought were possible.”

I believe I am the product of people in my life drawing circles of grace around me, and I hope that I can pay it forward. I pray that you will be encouraged as you minister to those around us and that your circle will be increasingly enlarged as you become the love of Jesus to each and every man, woman, and child who seeks refuge and rescue at Nashville Rescue Mission. Please continue to share your stories with me.

In Christ,

Judy

P.S.: I highly recommend reading the book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People. I also recommend the movie, Pay It Forward.

Chaplain’s Corner – Seeds

I come from a long line of farmers. I think I am a farmer at heart because I just love everything about gardening (except for bugs). Since March, I have been outside pulling weeds and preparing the soil in order to plant seeds. I’ve already planted English and snow peas, spinach and kale, radishes, carrots, chard, and beets. In early March I planted tomato seeds indoors that have produced seedlings that I will plant in the next few weeks. I’m really excited about some little cherry-type tomatoes called sugar bombs that I had bought at the grocery store back in February. They tasted so good! I saved one of the little cherry tomatoes and planted the seeds in starter pots, and they are already coming up! I just love to see the little green shoots push up out of the dirt, then form leaves, and then finally begin to bear fruit.

It’s a funny thing about the growing cycle. These seeds that I am planting come from plants and fruit that have finished their growth and served their purpose. When the plant dies, we say it “goes to seed,” yet in each tiny seed is the potential for a new plant that will produce many times more seeds. And it is absolutely a miracle that such a big plant can come from such a small seed. Some of my tomato plants will grow to be eight feet tall, and all that will come from one seed barely larger than a pinhead.

Jesus said, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24). He often used farming stories to explain the Christian life because the people of his day were very close to the earth and could relate. These metaphors still make sense today. This verse cited above is in the middle of a message that Jesus spoke to his disciples and some other followers right after Palm Sunday when he had been welcomed into Jerusalem as the king with loud hosannas. As He told them in John 12:23-30, He knew that he was going to die a physical death to fulfil his destiny.

Jesus knew that as his followers, like wheat, we must to die to ourselves and our desires before God can properly use us. How do we do that–die to ourselves? Does it mean that we have to be martyrs? Not necessarily, but maybe.  Dying to ourselves simply means submitting entirely to God. Jesus provided the example when he said in the Garden when praying to his father  “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

That means that our attempts to “do good” in our own eyes might not be for the best. Oswald Chambers said it best, in my opinion: “The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best.” 

Of course, when we disobey by breaking the law or focusing on our own wicked desires, we are obviously not dying to self; but did you realize that when we make any decision, pursue any path, take any action, think any thought, or say anything without first seeking God’s will through prayer and Bible study then we are also not truly dying to self? Total submission is dying to self and living for Christ.

I challenge myself and all of us to continually die to ourselves by seeking God’s will in all things. In this way, we can truly grow spiritually. And with your spiritual life as testimony to the greatness and goodness of God, you will be a factor in bringing the Good News of salvation to many, many others. Brothers and sisters, we have such opportunity here at Nashville Rescue Mission. The fields are white with harvest. I’m so encouraged to be fellow “seeds” with you as we plant in anticipation for the ultimate harvest.

In Christ,

Judy