January 6: God hears and recognizes our voices...how do we do the same with Him?

Genesis 13:5-15:21

Matthew 5:27-48

Psalm 6:1-10

Proverbs 1:28-33

Let's start with the really easy one today:  God hears and answers prayers!!!

"Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;

   heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

 My soul is in deep anguish.

   How long, Lord, how long?

 Turn, Lord, and deliver me;

   save me because of your unfailing love.

 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.

   Who praises you from the grave?"

While the psalmist appears to be praying for relief from his enemies, we rejoice today because God has begun to relieve the affliction of a sister in Christ, who has been waiting since childhood for a new heart.  Her affliction was a rallying cry for so many, within Grace Church and beyond, to storm heaven with prayers, to cry out to God.  She was "worn out from...groaning" and early this morning the Lord saw fit to answer all our prayers, from hers, her parents', and her husband's, all the way to my youngest son and the other children crying out for her.  She was wheeled into the OR, and wheeled back out with a new heart.  And while the journey isn't over, we know that "The Lord has heard [our] cry for mercy; the Lord accepts [our] prayer."  Thank You, God, for hearing and answering our pleas.

So God hears and recognizes our voices.  Can we say the same of Him?  Abram could - he could distinguish imagination from vision, sow hen the word of the Lord came to him, he recognized it for what it was: God speaking to him.  Even better, he was so comfortable with our Lord that he carried on a conversation with him, something we struggle with increasingly in this world of electronic communication.  Wouldn't it be great to be able to hear Him the way Abram did?  To know for sure it was Him talking that we could hear Him say "do not be afraid", and hear His promises to us and for us?

The wonderful thing is, we can.  We already know He hears and answers prayers [see: heart transplant, above].  We've been created in His image and likeness - why should getting to know Him be any different than getting to know someone whose voice we may not yet hear?  Why shouldn't we be able to get to begin to get to know Him through the Word He has given us?  No reason.  So please consider this invitation to start or continue a journey I am still on myself, and will be for the rest of my life.  If you're reading this, you know that we are journeying through the Bible, getting to know our Lord through His words, throughout the year.  Join us, so we can all grow even more confident He hears our words and, even better, that we hear His.