Be Still and Know

Hearing from God through Divine Encounters

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Opening

He knows you best

If you could imagine the closest most trusted relationship in your life, whether it’s your spouse, a parent, sibling or child... it still wouldn’t come close to the kind of relationship you can experience with God. First of all, no one knows you better than the one who designed you. He literally “knitted you together in your mother’s womb” (Psa 139:13). The Lord has detailed, intimate knowledge about who you are, and how you’re designed. Every little quirk and idiosyncrasy was carefully crafted for your specific journey through life, and God is the one who put that there. Your gifts, your preferences, your delicacies, and your far away thoughts; the Lord is well acquainted with all of your ways.

He is ever present

Secondly, God is omnipotent and omnipresent. He’s the most available relationship we can ever have because God is always with us, an “ever-present” help (Ps. 46:1) who will “never leave you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6) and is with you wherever you go” (Jos 1:9). Whether we acknowledge Him or not, God is always right here with us. And as Christians, we have received a deposit of His very Spirit to teach us His ways as He leads us and guides us through life.

Before Christ was taken up into heaven He promised in Matthew 28:20 “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” There are times in our lives when we may feel that God is far from us. But His Word assures us in Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

Never separated

Christ can never be separated from those who believe in Him, as we discussed from Romans Romans 8:38–39. Neither supernatural forces of heaven nor the worldly forces below, neither life nor death, nor angels, principalities or powers, nothing present or future or any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. There is no where we can go that is too far for God to reach us, no secret place where we can hide from God, as David said earlier in Psalm 139, “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”

Whether we know Him or not, He is there. As Paul explained to the idol worshippers in Athens, their statue to “the unknown God” points to their knowledge of this One God who can’t be contained in created things, because He made the world and everything in it. In Acts 17:27-28 he says, [God made every person on the face of the earth] “so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.”

In Him we live, and move and have our being. So, how do we come to know this God of all... who is before all things, and in whom all things consist (Col 1:17)? How can mortal man even fathom His presence, let alone enter into it, let alone carry it within ourselves? Today we are wrapping up the “Hearing from God” sermon series with a message about quieting our hearts and simply being present, every day, every moment… living and moving and being within the most important relationship we will ever have.

Pray

Body (Truth) – Write this first. Walk through the text, teaching what it says and how it intersects with life.

Everyday Encounters

Daily Encounters

As most of you know, my husband is in the military, and we’re no stranger to being apart, but even when we’re not able to be in the same room together, we make it a priority to connect with each other every single day. We schedule regular date nights and plan specific times away to be alone together. Now, as important as our marriage is to one another, we both understand that it’s really #2 in the relationship department. We know that if either of our relationships with God are neglected, it carries over and threatens every other relationship in our lives.

We prioritize daily time with God because a flourishing relationship with Him is the foundation for healthy relationships with others. If you want better relationships, start with the person who knows you best! As the only One who knows you more intimately than your spouse, parent, or friend, God invites you to spend time with Him to better understand His character and His work in the world around you.

Hearing from God is an individual and firsthand experience, we can’t rely on other people to invest in our own relationship with God. This is why children, when they become teenagers, tend to wander a little as they seek their own individual relationship with the One who created them that is distinctive from the relationship they have with their parents. Spending time listening to a sermon or watching a Christian television show does not replace personal time spent with God.

In Larry’s book, there are two main activities we should pursue when spending time with God; reading the Bible and prayer. I’d like to add worship to that list, since praising Him first gets our spirits in a better position to listen.

There’s no set time of day or length of time, we don’t have to be legalistic about it, as long as we actually spend time with Him, he’s not partial to morning or night, 5 minutes or 5 hours. And No, God is not disappointed in you when you don’t spend time with Him.

The best time spent with God is simply the time you spend with God. Any moment spent in God’s presence is an investment in eternity. Anywhere, any time, for any length of time. As the lover of our souls, He calls to us and desires that we come away with him. He longs for time with us as the bridegroom longs for his bride in Song of Solomon 2:10 “My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.”

So, whether it’s first thing in the morning, on my knees at night, driving in my car, or walking the dog (I don’t have a dog, but if I did, I would spend time with God while I walk it) - No matter where or when, I take time to set my heart on God and prepare myself to hear from him. Communication is incomplete if all you do is talk, you know. Our minds are always spinning on something, I find that sometimes doing a mundane task like taking a shower or running the vacuum is just what’s needed to quiet my soul and listen for the Lord to speak.

Knowing His Character

For many people, hearing from God seems like such an unusual and super-spiritual thing that it’s hard to even imagine what it could be like. Some people imagine God as a distant disciplinarian who is just waiting to hurl a lighting bolt at them for doing something wrong. Others have an impression of a cosmic vending machine who works on Karma-like currency - giving “good” people what they want and “bad” people a hard time.

The thing is, “[God] makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). As we saturate ourselves in God’s Word, we start to understand that the circumstances of life are not a result of good or bad, but every thing that we go through is intended to draw us closer in relationship with God and to help us better understand who He is.

He isn’t hiding; He wants to be known by everyone. He wants to reveal Himself to you, not as a distant judge, but through a loving relationship in good times and bad. The more we lean on Him through daily struggles, the more we get a clear picture of a God who is both loving and just, faithful and consistent. God reveals exactly who He is through His unstoppable, unconditional love.

In fact, if we put “God” in place for the word “love” as Larry suggests in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 we can check our understanding of God’s character. Do we believe that “[God] is patient, and [God] is kind. [He] does not envy, [He] does not boast, [He] is not proud. [God] does not dishonor others, [He] is not self-seeking, [nor] easily angered, [and He] keeps no record of wrongs. [God] does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [He] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. [God] never fails.”

You see, as we come to understand God’s character through the lens of love, it’s much easier to quickly tell if we are hearing His voice or the voice of the adversary. As the Zach Williams song goes, there’s only love in the heart of God. Intimacy with God is the key to understanding His character. The deeper the relationship, the more familiar His love becomes.

God’s ultimate expression of love for us was given through His Son, Jesus. In John 10:10 Jesus says that “He came that we may have life, and have it to the full.” The word for “life” there is zoe, and it’s the same word Jesus used to describe Himself as “the way, the truth and the life” in John 14:6.

This isn’t just biological life; its the very nature of God - the uncreated, eternal source of all that is what we call “life.” Jesus stands as our divine gateway, the only way to truly know the Father and His nature. Jesus came so that we could experience the fullness of zoe life, participating in God’s very nature.

Zoe life is not something we strive to attain, it’s something we carry within us. The fullness of life in Christ Jesus! Now, I know that’s easy to believe when the sun is shining and the bills are paid, but what about the dark valleys? What about the seasons of trouble? Here is the truth: your circumstances do not dictate your zoe life. Whether you are on the mountaintop or in the fire, you possess the very nature of God and access to the Source that never runs dry!

Trials and Tribulations

In Matthew 26, we see a woman bring her most valuable possession - an alabaster jar - and break it open before Jesus. This wasn’t just a gesture, it was a total surrender. Just as that jar had to be broken to release the frangrance that filled the room, the perfect, sinless Son of God had to be broken open at the cross.

He was the true Alabaster Jar, carrying the life-giving oil of zoe life. When He was crucified, He didn’t just shed blood; He poured out love… the very nature of God as He traded our sin and our sorrow for His very life.

When God is Silent

Jesus understands the suffering that happens to people. Just as Isaiah prophesied, “He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa 53:3). Later in Matthew 26, the Lord prayed to the Father three times, asking that the cup be passed from Him, and seeking an answer to bring Him relief. But each time He prayed, He surrendered His own will to the Will of the Father, “not as I will, but Your will be done,” in perfect submission and faith.

It was the will of God that Jesus drink that cup because it was the only way to save us from that very cup of wrath that we deserved. The only way he would be able to stand before God and intercede on our behalf is if He experienced our suffering and willingly bore our punishment.

Jesus knows every loss, every betrayal, and every sorrow that afflicts us today. He even knows what it’s like when we’re pleading with God and God seems utterly silent. “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1)

He experienced the ultimate isolation - deserted by His friends and separated from His Father - so that you would never have to know what it means to be truly alone. When troubles come, don’t mistake a season of struggle for a season of sentence. God isn’t waiting to punish you; Jesus already stood in that gap. Our tribulations bay be difficult, but they are hollow compared to the weight Christ carried on our behalf, and He did that so that even in your hardest hour, you are never alone.

When prayers go unanswered, we learn to cry out to the Father all the more. When we are disappointed, we learn to trust in Him for a better way. This life is not about impressing God or trying to be “perfect”. Our crying out to Him isn’t a sign of weak faith - it’s a sign of a growing dependence on Him. As Oswald Chambers once said, “God is not working toward a particular finish - His purpose is the process itself.”

When God is silent, it doesn’t mean that He’s absent. Often, when the world seems darkest, God is preparing to do His greatest work - not around us, but within us. He is far more focused on the condition of your heart than the chaos of your circumstances. Think of it this way: He uses the grit of the sand to produce the pearl, and the crushing pressure of life to forge the diamond. He even allows for times of drought so that your roots are forced to dig deeper into His living water.

Co-Laboring with Christ

Jesus went to that cross and sent us His Spirit so that no matter what we are going through, we are never alone. He will never leave nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). He is always with us, and as we move through the mountains and the valleys, we gain better understanding of just how much the Father loves us.

We aren’t just spectators of God’s glory; we are vital participants in His eternal plan. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:9 that we are God’s fellow workers, and in 2 Corinthians 6:1, that we are co-laborers in His service. Don’t misunderstand me: God doesn’t need us to get the job done - He is all-powerful. But in His infinite love, He has chosen us. Not as servants, but as His friends and as his children. He has invited us into the family business of bringing His Kingdom to earth, exactly as it is in Heaven.

It’s God’s desire that we co-labor with Him, appropriating the finished work of the Cross. It’s a cooperative “co-labor” because apart from Christ our work is not complete, and at the same time, amazingly, his work on earth is not complete without us. The fullness of zoe life with Christ is lived out in the messy middle of our daily lives.

When we surrender our plans to Him, we aren’t losing our way; we are finally finding it. In every mountain-top moment and every valley of shadow, He is right there, directing our steps. When we stay in constant step with His Spirit, our daily walk becomes a divine assignment to bring heaven to earth.

Coram Deo - An Audience of One

There is a reason we are still in this world, and David captures it perfectly in Psalm 56:13 “That I may walk before God in the light of the living.” The reformers had a phrase for this: “Coram Deo.” It means living your entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and to the glory of God.

Practically speaking, living Coram Deo transforms how believers approach daily existence. Every mundane moment - every dish washed, every email sent, every conversation held - is performed before an audience of One. It transforms your daily existence from a search for human approval into a stead walk in the divine spotlight of His grace.

Watching for what He’s doing

Living Coram Deo - before the face of God - is most clearly seen in how we pay attention to what He’s already doing in the lives of those around you. God isn’t a distant observer; He is a living, acting participant in every life you encounter.

We often struggle to “hear” Him, but sometimes hearing God is actually about seeing what He is already doing and simply choosing to join Him there. Jesus modeled this perfectly in John 5:19 when He said that He only did what He saw the Father doing.

Like the prophet Habbakuk, we must “stand our watch” - positioning ourselves to see what He will say and where He is moving. We simply need to look around us to see how He is working and learn to recognize the activity of God. When you see someone starting to seek spiritual things, don’t miss that moment. Stop, pay attention, and step into the work God has already begun.

We believe the greatest work happens outside these walls, in the relationships you build every single day. We aren’t here to build an organization; we are here to make disciples through authentic, personal connection.

I want to encourage you to take a next step in that mission by joining us for the Spiritual Parenting Workshop this Saturday at 1:00. Mim & Deryl Hurst from DOVE Westgate have a wealth of wisdom to share on how to mentor and pour into the lives of those around you. Please register today and join us as we learn to walk with others and build the Kingdom together.

Summary

Practicing His Presence

As I close, and the Intercessors and Communion Stewards come forward, I want to remind you that God is not some distant deity sitting on a spiritual mountain somewhere waiting to strike. As a Christian, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and God has taken up permanent residence there. He is always present, even if our awareness of it may falter.

“Being still before God (Psa 46:10) is more than just finding a quiet room; it’s a posture of the heart. It’s a state of internal rest that you can carry into your busiest routines. You don’t have to shut the world out to find Him; you simply have to tune your spirit to His presence. As you learn to acknowledge Him in the middle of your ‘everyday,’ you’ll find yourself growing into a deeper, lifelong intimacy with the Father.

As we go out today, let’s be careful that we’re not putting God into a little Sunday morning box. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking He only speaks when you’re ‘in the mood,’ when you’re sitting in these seats, or when life is perfectly quiet.

As Job 33:14 reminds us, “ God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it.” Our God is a creative and dynamic God! He’s a God of surprises! He isn’t limited by your distractions or whether or not you ‘feel’ spiritual in the moment.

Keep leaning into your friendship with Him, and as you cultivate that relationship, you will find yourself hearing His voice with consistency and confidence, in the most unexpected ways.

Small group Questions

In your small groups this week:

Share how God has revealed some of His character to you

Explain how you hear God through times of suffering

Describe what it means to you that God calls you “friend.”

Pray (Stand)

Tithes & Offerings

We have an opportunity each week to demonstrate our faith in the Lord of all by giving a tithe of all our income unto Him. (Bless the tithes and offerings)

Communion

We also bless the elements of our communion; Matthew 26:26–28 says that “While they were eating (the Passover meal), Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

We give thanks to you, Lord for this bread, and thanks to your Son for His love poured out on the cross. We eat and drink in remembrance of you.

Benediction

Come, pray, give, eat and drink and may you be still and know the depths of His love until He returns.