Hearing From God
Hearing From God
Text: 2 Chronicles 20:13-19
In the opening verses of this chapter we learn that three armies were gathering on Judah's border for an attack. When King Jehoshaphat heard the news, the Bible tells us that he first feared, but then he confronted his fear with faith. He took his problem to the Lord in prayer. Verse 12 records his final words on the matter: "we have no might against this great company that cometh against us: neither know we what to do: BUT OUR EYES ARE UPON THEE."
Understand, Jehoshaphat prayed this prayer before ever a blow was struck or a single life was lost. He didn't wait until HIS efforts had failed before he turned to the Lord for help. His FIRST RESPONSE was to confess his dependency upon God. He said in effect, "Lord, if you don't come through for us, we're doomed to failure before we even begin."
The most consistent characteristic of the successful people of the Bible is their dependency upon God. They relied upon His Word; they trusted His promises; they waited for His Spirit to give them direction before they acted. They didn't simply pray about a matter, then go off and do what they thought was best. They prayed, waited for God's response, and then they acted in obedient faith to His leadership.
In verse 13, we read that all Judah stood before the Lord. They were doing what we are supposed to do after we have prayed - they were waiting upon God.
I. They needed God to either ACT or SPEAK.
A. One way that God responds to our prayers is to directly, divinely ACT to resolve the problem.
1. We pray about a financial need, and God can supply extra money.
2. When praying about a conflict on the job, God can work to change circumstances or remove people.
3. While we are waiting, God can give the deliverance we need.
B. Another way that God responds to our prayers is to SPEAK to us by His Holy Spirit.
1. He can show you how you can handle your present income more wisely.
2. He may give you wisdom on how to deal with a difficult person or situation.
3. While waiting upon God, He can impress upon us His will.
II. In response to their waiting, God spoke.
A. PRAYER IS NOT A ONE WAY CONVERSATION. God will speak to His people today.
1. The same Holy Spirit who came upon Jahaziel indwells every child of God.
2. One of His roles is to give us leadership concerning the will of God.
B. God wants to speak to us by the Holy Spirit.
1. John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
a) Notice, it doesn't say that the Holy Spirit will control us. He won't force us to do anything.
b) He has been sent to guide us according to truth because He is the Spirit of Truth.
2. Acts 8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
Acts 10:19-20 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. 20Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
Acts 16:6-7 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 7After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
a) In each case, we see God speaking through His Spirit to make His will known.
3. Ephesians 5:17-18 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
a) We are to understand the will of the Lord by being "filled with the Spirit."
C. The Spirit doesn't speak in an audible voice, what He says is not "inspired", but it is trustworthy.
1. Each day we must make decisions on things not clearly spelled out in Scripture.
a) What college to attend.
b) Whether to make a job change.
c) Is it the right time to buy a new car or move to a bigger home.
2. When we wait upon God, the Holy Spirit will give us leadership we can trust to discern the will of God in such matters.
D. God wants to speak to His people, and He does so through His Spirit. If we walk in the Spirit, yielded to His leadership of our lives, we can expect Him to speak to us. Yet it is not always easy to discern His voice.
1. How do I know when God is speaking, and I'm not just listening to my own wishful thinking?
2. How do I tell the difference between the voice of God and the voice of Satan, between my thoughts and God's leadership?
I believe we can glean three Scriptural indicators of the voice of God from this passage.
III. How To Identify the Voice of God. Verses 15-17
A. It is always consistent with the Word of God.
1. The first words of Jehaziel were a reminder that the battle was the Lord's.
a) This was God's promise to His people.
(1) When Israel was cornered at the Red Sea, the Lord reassured Moses "The Lord shall fight for you." Exodus 14:14
(2) When Joshua led in the conquest of Canaan, it was the Lord who drove out their enemies before them.
(3) When David confronted Goliath, he did so with the confidence that the "battle is the Lord's." I Samuel 17:46-47
b) God used various men, means, and methods, but He is always identified as the Source of their victory.
2. If what you hear in response to prayer does not agree with Scripture, then it isn't God's voice.
a) The Holy Spirit will NEVER cause us to act on anything other than what is true.
b) He will NEVER tell us to engage in any activity or relationship that is forbidden in the Word of God.
B. B. It often challenges our faith. Verse 16 "Go ye down against them."
1. God required Judah to go and confront her enemies.
a) God didn't shield them from their problems.
b) God told Jehoshaphat to do the very thing he thought he couldn't do.
c) However, God made it clear that he (Jehoshaphat) wasn't responsible for pulling off a victory.
2. God is always challenging our faith, telling us to act in ways which require our trust.
a) What He says will be consistent with Scripture.
b) But doing it will challenge us to rely upon Him in a greater way.
3. God's voice doesn't lead us into a timid discipleship, but to live in bold contrast to the world around us.
C. It often conflicts with our natural desires. Verse 17 "ye shall not need to fight..."
1. When God directs you to do something, it will often clash with what you consider to be the natural, reasonable course of action.
2. This doesn't mean that God tells us to act foolishly.
a) Rather, God's voice often directs us to do that which is exactly opposite of our natural inclination.
(1) It isn't natural to respond to enemies with love and kindness, but isn't that what God has told us to do?
(2) God always speaks in such a way that our actions please Him, not gratify our flesh.
b) God may tell us to wait, when every thing within us is screaming at us to do something.
c) He may tell us to give, when the reasonable thing to do is to meet our own needs first.
Conclusion
When God spoke to Jehoshaphat, the immediate result was a sense of peace. Instead of trembling in fear, he is seen bowing in worship. The next thing we read is that the Levites were praising God "with a loud voice". And this was before anyone had actually witnessed the solution! What was responsible for the change? The conviction that they had heard from God and knew what action to take.
After we have prayed, God wants us to wait on Him. Not fitfully, or fatalistically, but expectantly, knowing that He will either ACT on our behalf or SPEAK, telling us what we are to do. It is crucial that we learn to wait, and learn to discern the voice of God.