Numbers 23:3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill. This sounds familiar. When people who know want to hear from God, they get away from the noise and the crowds. Jesus did this, a lot. Moses went up on Mt. Sinai alone, he saw the burning bush alone, he went into the Tabernacle alone, and he heard from God, a lot. That’s one reason that I love my early mornings – alone. It’s quiet and I can hear. That’s not to say I hear a lot… my mind is sometimes just as bad as other noise. But it’s in these quiet moments that I get a few minutes of peace, when I can read God’s Words without distraction (for the most part – I just got distracted by looking up Jewish schools to see if my kids could learn Torah – sadly, since neither John nor I am Jewish, I’ll have to find another way), and when I can reflect on what I read instead of rushing through it…. And now G. is up and I must go. So much for quiet reflection. God is laughing at me.
Haggai 1:9 You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the LORD Almighty, while you are all busy building your own fine houses. I read this and immediately thought about my life and finances. We hoped for rich harvests, there were promises of great things to come, but they were poor and nothing came to pass. What we were able to bring home flew right out again in children’s medical bills, car repairs and diapers (sooooo many diapers). It seemed that we would never have enough to do more than just scrape by (thank goodness for the help and love of family, and for the grace and faithfulness of God’s provision). This same thing happened with Israel. Why? According to this verse, it’s because God’s house lies in ruins. A loooong time ago when this was written, God’s house was literally in ruins. It had been destroyed by invaders. The Israelites who had started to rebuild had rebuilt their homes, but not the Temple. Today, most of us don’t have a physical temple building in ruins laying around our homes and neighborhoods. But the principle still applies. God’s home is our hearts. Have we been so busy trying to build our homes, businesses, and families that we’ve neglected to care for God’s home? Do we spend time with Him? Do we talk with Him? Do we allow Him to work in us? Do we do good for others and love them? I know that for a long time, I was so busy with life that I didn’t have time to spend with God. It wasn’t that I never thought of Him or completely ignored Him, but finding some time to read God’s Word and pray in chunks of time was nearly impossible with two small children! I neglected to build that relationship with God – I neglected to build His temple in me. Maybe that’s part of why we’ve struggled so much these last few years. It may not be all of it. There’s probably a lot of good lessons in there, too, I’m sure. But it could very well be a part of the problem. There’s a reason this chunk of text made it into our version of the Bible…
Habukuk 2:20 But the LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him. People are loud. We talk and think out loud. We yell and cheer. I have a hard time being still and silent. No, I’m not ADD or ADHD or anything like that… but even when I’m still, my mind is going a mile a minute. But God is supposed to inspire awe, and in that awe we are silent before Him. The only time in my life that I can really say that awe of God inspired silence for me was when God met me in my living room a while back. I could literally feel the arms of God wrap around me and hold me. I was speechless then. I was overwhelmed. I was silent. Part of me wishes I felt that more often, but probably because of my business and the chaos of my life, I miss it or just don’t take the time to really dig in. That time was unique. That was God coming close to me when I really needed Him. That doesn’t happen everyday (not in that way). If did, I’d never get anything done. But I wish I could cultivate more silence in my life so I could spend a little more time in awe of my loving Creator. Of course, I’d have to choose to spend that time with Him and not messing around with other things… There’s the rub.
Thoughts from Saturday Night Service at St. Pauls Presbyterian. Mark, one of the pastors at the church, did a segment during the sermon (about hearing from God), and a couple of things really struck me: 1. An analogy he used was a beach he goes to every year where the water is incredibly clear, and he can see straight through it for several meters all around him (no sharks sneaking up on him!). But one year he went and the waters were all churned up from a storm, making it impossible to see through the waters at all. So are our lives when we are in the midst of storms. When we’re all churned up, we can’t see what’s around us, nor where to go next. But if we withdraw to a quiet place (have a cup of tea, says the Brit) and let things settle a little (surrender, relax, pray) the waters become more clear and it’s easier to see. It’s such a perfect analogy for when we’re in a storm. I love it! 2. The other point he made was that it’s God’s responsibility to speak loudly enough for me to hear. One of the things I wonder about is if I’ve missed God’s whisper. Did He speak and I didn’t hear Him? But Mark pointed out that God wants us to hear His voice, so He will speak loudly enough for me to hear Him. Now, if I’m off doing my own thing and not paying attention or making any effort to listen, I can still miss his voice (kind of how my son “misses” hearing my voice when he’s playing or watching Veggie Tales). But if I’m truly listening and paying attention, it’s God’s responsibility to speak loudly enough for me to hear. And He knows just how loud is loud enough. Those were two points that really hit home for me, speaking to areas of my life where I struggle. Yeah God!
Deut.17:18-20 18 “When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. 20 This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel. Did you know that the king of Israel was required to hand-write the laws and read them daily?! Wow! It was to teach him to fear God and to keep him from pride and turning from God. That would certainly help me to remember more. When I write things I think more about them. I suppose that’s why we’re supposed to read the Bible every day – it helps us to fear God and know Him. Although, I’m not quite sure I really understand what it means to fear God. Maybe I’ll need to study that, too. On a side note, did you notice that God told Israel to NEVER return to Egypt, even to trade? Interesting! I wonder if they broke that command or if it’s still upheld?