God's Voice

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Devotional of the Week: Jeremiah 7:23 "But this is what I commanded them, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you."

God speaks to us daily. He shows us his presence in so many ways. If we listen closely however we will hear the still small voice of a holy God. His call to us is one of obedience. It is the way we can show our undying love and devotion to him. Obeying God in all things may be a challenge sometimes, but in this verse from Jeremiah, we see what the fruit of an obedient walk can be. Our Lord says to us that things will be well with us.

Nowhere is this submission to God's will evident than in the story of hymn writer Horatio Gates Spafford. In 1871, tragedy struck Chicago as fire ravaged the city. When it was all over, 300 people were dead and 100,000 were homeless. Horatio Gates Spafford was one of those who tried to help the people of the city get back on their feet. A lawyer who had invested much of his money into the downtown Chicago real estate, he'd lost a great deal to the fire. And his one son (he had four daughters) had died about the same time.

Still, for two years Spafford--who was a friend of evangelist Dwight Moody--assisted the homeless, impoverished, and grief-stricken ruined by the fire.After about two years of such work, Spafford and his family decided to take a vacation. They were to go to England to join Moody and Ira Sankey on one of their evangelistic crusades, then travel in Europe. Horatio Spafford was delayed by some business, but sent his family on ahead. He would catch up to them on the other side of the Atlantic.Their ship, the Ville de Havre, never made it. Off Newfoundland, it collided with an English sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and sank within 20 minutes.

Though Horatio's wife, Anna, was able to cling to a piece of floating wreckage (one of only 47 survivors among hundreds), their four daughters--Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie--were killed. Horatio received a horrible telegram from his wife, only two words long: "saved alone."Spafford boarded the next available ship to be near his grieving wife, and the two finally met up with Dwight Moody. "It is well," Spafford told him quietly. "The will of God be done."

This experience led Spafford to write one of the iconic hymns of our day. "It Is Well With My Soul" is a heart healing song that reminds us that God is faithful to those who heed His voice and trust His plan. May we have the strength of Horatio Spafford when we face lifes hardships, may we in turn tell someone, "It is well..." and give it all to God.

Prayer: Father God, help us to hear your voice. Help us to heed it, trust it and take solace in it. You are a faithful and loving God and we know that you have only our best interests in mind. Help us to focus then on Your will for our lives and to walk with confidence knowing that all is well. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Mini-Study of the Week: Read 1 Samuel Chapter 3

As we look at the entirety of chapter 3 today, we see several significant things. First, we see that God has been silent for a long while. Verse 1 tells us that "the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation". We also see that the Lord and His word was not yet known to Samuel. Yes, Samuel had ministered to the Lord to this point, but still did not have an intimate relationship with Him. Soon though, as in the lives of all believers, God will come knocking. The third thing we see is that God's message is not to be kept silent.

In the beginning of this chapter we learn that God's voice has been silent. God however is in the midst of training up Samuel to be that voice. Three times He calls to Samuel, and each time Samuel mistakes that voice to be Eli his teacher. Finally Eli shares with Samuel what his response to God should be. It is the response that he gives that we should be ready to give. We should be ready to say "Here I am, for you did call me."

Samuel's readiness is what we should be prepared for. We should all have a willingness to respond positively to the Lord and do what He asks. Even if the task given us is a difficult one, we should trust in our heavenly Father. Samuel experiences this first hand when God reveals that He will carry out his judgment on Eli and his sons. At first Samuel is reluctant to share with Eli what the Lord had shared. He is afraid to hurt or anger Eli. Eli's response is a submissive one. When he states "It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him" he is resigning himself to his fate knowing that God is fair and just.

In this chapter we see the beginnings of a relationship with God. We see that it is God who comes after us, and our responsibility is simply to say "Here I am." Samuel is in pretty heavy company when you consider that response. Here are some others who said, "Here I am" when the Lord spoke to them: Abraham (Genesis 22:1), Jacob (Genesis 46:2), Moses (Exodus 3:4), Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8), and Ananias (Acts 9:10). God seeks us and when we make ourselves available He will do many things through us.

Samuel would speak his first prophecy this way, and as the chapter concludes, we see that he would become well known as the voice of the Lord. The verses say "So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord." Each of Samuel's prophecies would come to pass and the whole of Israel would know who he was. God's voice was about to return in a powerful way, and Samuel would be the vessel used by a Holy God!

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Video of the Week:

God's will for our lives will never be fully understood. Our submission to it will bring peace to our lives even in the darkest circumstances. His voice is our comfort. May this week's video bless you.

"It Is Well With My Soul" written by Horatio Gates Spafford



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In His Service,
Sergio