We all desire to hear the voice of Jesus, or so we think we do until he starts speaking and we now are faced with a decision of whether or not we will obey Him! Hearing the voice of Jesus is directly connected to us giving our attention to Jesus.
17 years ago, while in pre-marital counseling with my then soon to be wife, I discovered that one of my frustrations with Chere was trying to talk to her when I didn’t have her attention. I actually would get so frustrated that I would just rather not talk. Our pastor at the time gave Chere advice that we still talk about today. He said everyday remind yourself that if I am not looking at Steven, I am not listening to Steven. This wasn’t necessarily the case, but it was definitely true in mind. Also, for the record he gave me A LOT of advice as well!
In Exodus 3, we find that Moses is minding his own business taking care of his father-in-law’s flock. All of the sudden, the angel of the Lord appears to him in a bush that is burning but is not consumed. Verses 3 and 4 say “So Moses said, ‘I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, ‘Here I am.’”
It is amazing to me that when the Lord saw that Moses had turned aside to look, He called out to him! So many times, our attention is given in so many places we can’t hear the Lord speaking. And maybe the Lord is just waiting for us to turn aside and look. To give Him our attention and affection. To be free from all of the things of this life and fix our gaze on Him!
I am not suggesting that this is an easy task, however I would like to point out the seriousness of this moment in the life of Moses. Again, he is tending His father-in-law’s sheep and from the place of giving his attention to the Lord he is given a new assignment or mission if you would. We cannot go through this life with ambitious desires to be on mission with Jesus if we are unwilling to go through this life giving our attention to Jesus. Moses turned and looked. The Lord called out to him. Moses said here I am, and the Lord said “Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” Here comes the part where we have to decide if we will obey. Moses having heard what the Lord planned to do with His life immediately began listing the reasons he was unqualified and why the Lord should choose someone else. I would submit that the Lord chose Moses because He had his attention.
Again, Hearing the voice of Jesus is directly connected to us giving our attention to Jesus. If you find yourself in a place today where you feel you are having a hard time hearing His voice, I would encourage you to examine where your attention is being given. May we give Him our attention. May we hear His voice clearly. And, may we give Him our yes in obedience.
Until next time…
