He Hears Us

One of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories is “Horton Hears A Who”.  We see this kind elephant, Horton, hearing a tiny sound in something like a dandelion.  He soon learns that a whole smaller world of creatures lives in that dandelion.  People don’t believe him, but he keeps listening and speaking to the small creature he befriends.  He goes to great lengths to protect that small world he holds with his trunk.

In the scheme of things we seem, but small and insignificant in God’s creations.  Yet, God, like Horton, sees us as important and worth saving, loving and listening too.   What an encouragement to know that our God hears us when we pray.  When we pray with a humble and right heart persistently before Him, He will hear us. Daniel was just one example to us in the Bible.  In Daniel 10:12 we read,

“Don’t be afraid, Daniel,” he said to me, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers.”

Even more encouraging is the fact that God will answer us.  He will send and give us an answer.  We may not be blessed with a great angel coming to bring us the answer like Daniel experienced, but we will receive a response that is just as valid from the Lord.  The key is to be like Daniel.  Be a humble and persistent prayer warrior.

The Ultimate Speech Making Fear

Many people are afraid to speak in front of other people or large groups.  We all become shy when presented the opportunity to make a speech.  Teachers start trying to break us of this fear by teaching us speech making skills and forcing us to speak in front of class mates while we are in high school and college.  I, myself, have this problem.  I took several speech classes and I don’t think it has helped me much.  I get so nervous that I forget what I have said while I was standing up in front of everyone by the time I have sat back down.  The fear comes from the concept that those we are speaking to will reject us or not like us.  We place so much importance on everyone liking us.  When in reality, especially as Christians, that is not even something we should be worrying about.  We, as Christians, are not here to please man, but to please God.  Jesus warned his disciples and us, that there will be times when people don’t like us because of representing Him.  He warns us that we may even be taken in front of groups of people that want to harm us for our beliefs.  Read Matthew 10:16 -20.

¹⁶ “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves. ¹⁷ Because people will hand you over to sanhedrins and flog you in their synagogues, beware of them. ¹⁸ You will even be brought before governors and kings because of Me, to bear witness to them and to the nations. ¹⁹ But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you should speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour, ²⁰ because you are not speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you.

Can you imagine being in that situation.  How frightening.  That makes saying a speech in front of a class not so scary.  What would you say in that situation to protect yourself or calm the crowd?  The truth is you are there because of your faith.  So in reality you are not to be protecting yourself.  You are to stand firm and defend your faith, not yourself.  In no way should you say anything that would make you look like you are go back on your stand for your Lord.  We see examples of that from Stephen and Paul in the Bible.  They never defended themselves.  They spoke about God right up until the end. 

Jesus gives us some great encouragement in this scary passage.  He tells us that if we are in that situation we will be given what to speak.  The Holy Spirit that lives in us will speak through us.  That’s really the best thing that can happen.  I know if I were to prepare the speech I would just mess it up and end up looking like a fool.  What an encouragement to know that I don’t have to make the speech.

 

To Be Seen and Heard

Sometimes we feel that no one is listening to us or that no one even knows that we are there.  We feel invisible in the world.  We just want to be seen and heard.  God probably feels the same way.  He tries so hard out of love to reach us.  Yet, sometimes people just don’t see or hear Him and they have a hard time believing in a God they cannot see, but the truth is that He can be seen and heard every day and night.  Read Psalm 19: 1-3.

“1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.”

You might say God instilled in His creation a silent communication to us.  He created the skies and universe that surrounds us to tell of His glory.  Each day or night, if we would but look at God’s handiwork we would hear God speaking to us and showing us Himself.  When one begins to truly take time and analyze our universe, they will soon begin to realize that it isn’t all an accident.  Something bigger than ourselves is behind it all.  What an encouragement to know that God is declaring himself so  mightily to us day and night.  He is right here with us and can be seen and heard clearly, if we but look and listen.

When Wisdom Speaks

In the Eighties a series of commercials appeared with several people having a conversation that would move in to a conversation about E.F. Hutton, a stock brokerage firm.  As they mentioned the name E.F. Hutton everyone within earshot would silence themselves and focus in on the people having the conversation.  The commercials had the tag line “When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.”  It was a classic series of commercials that really drove home the point that people will stop what they are doing to listen to good advice that will profit them.  In I Kings 10:23-24 we have a real life case in point:

“23 King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the world in riches and in wisdom. 24 The whole world wanted an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.”

Can you imagine having that kind of power?  To simply speak and people listen to you.  To know that what you are saying is of value and could change lives.  Solomon changed people’s lives when He spoke God’s wisdom, so much so, that people came from around the world to just listen.  I love that example of him with the two mothers and the fight over the last living baby.  How wonderful.  He saved that child and gave him back to his rightful mom.

We too can have that special ability to change people’s lives, when we speak.  The key is that we really have to let “Wisdom” do the speaking.  In other words, God must speak through us.  We must seek wisdom first like Solomon did and God will provide.  I know I waste a lot of words on useless things, but I definitely enjoy the times I share words of wisdom much more.  I am far more blessed.  Join me in the search for wisdom and the sharing of it.  If you find wisdom, you will change the world for God.  People will listen.

He Hears Us

One of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories is “Horton Hears A Who”.  We see this kind elephant, Horton, hearing a tiny sound in something like a dandelion.  He soon learns that a whole smaller world of creatures lives in that dandelion.  People don’t believe him, but he keeps listening and speaking to the small creature he befriends.  He goes to great lengths to protect that small world he holds with his trunk.

In the scheme of things we seem, but small and insignificant in God’s creations.  Yet, God, like Horton, sees us as important and worth saving, loving and listening too.   What an encouragement to know that our God hears us when we pray.  When we pray with a humble and right heart persistently before Him, He will hear us. Daniel was just one example to us in the Bible.  In Daniel 10:12 we read,

“Don’t be afraid, Daniel,” he said to me, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers.”

Even more encouraging is the fact that God will answer us.  He will send and give us an answer.  We may not be blessed with a great angel coming to bring us the answer like Daniel experienced, but we will receive a response that is just as valid from the Lord.  The key is to be like Daniel.  Be a humble and persistent prayer warrior.