Tag: I will hear you

9.h. “But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD.”

Joel 2:10  Return to the Lord “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?

Deuteronomy 4:29-30     But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.  When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice.

Jeremiah 4:1    “If you return, O Israel, declares the LORD, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver,

Jeremiah 29:12-13   Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14    When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people,  if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Zechariah 1:3-4    Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.  Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD.

Acts 26:20     but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

With all that is going on in the whole world today, is there any doubt that it is by the hand of God?  Some may say it is just a fluke in nature and we should expect things like this to happen given the ease in which travel has become.  Two views.  One seeing God as the author and the other denying God is the author.  The one who sees this as being at the hand of God will look inward to self and outward to culture and seek understanding, wisdom, repentance, and return to God more wholeheartedly.  They know their security is in Him but more than that, they have an inner assurance that is soul deep.  Belief in Jesus Christ will allow us to grab hold of the security as a means of facing trials but they lack the inner assurance that only comes when one comes out the other side of the trial.  All trials should give us pause and push us to reflect on our lives.  Are we keeping our focus on Jesus Christ, living for Him, seeking to follow, trust and obey Him?  Not a single one of us can say there is not some area within our lives that we keep to ourselves and don’t give it over to Jesus Christ.  Through trials, we can seek God’s leading and desire Him to show us what we have not yet surrendered to Him and His awesome power and control.  We can return to Him more fully and find rest for our surrendered souls.  It is in His hands we will find rest, assurance, hope, and purpose now and forever.

While they are yet speaking I will hear

Exodus 16:9    Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”  In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

Numbers 16:16     And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, before the LORD,

Ezekiel 34:30    And they shall know that I am the LORD their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 39:22    The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward.

Joel 3:17     “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.

Zechariah 13:9    And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”

Zechariah 10:6     “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.

Psalms 34:15-19     The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.  The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.  When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Psalms 50:15    and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalms 91:15     When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

Isaiah 65:24    Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.

Jeremiah 29:11-12    For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

Romans 10:12-14    For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.  For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

I am intrigued by these verses.  God, showing His love, mercy, awesome power to a nation of grumbling people.  They were not calling on God but rather grumbling against Him.  They were not believing in Him, trusting in Him, relying on Him but rather living in the circumstances and the situation they were in.  They are just weeks from where God showed 8 great wonders prior to delivering them out of the hands of Egypt, days past when the Red Sea was parted and fewer days from water being supplied.  Still, these great wonders of God did nothing to change there heart.  Did they see these things as works of an Awesome God or just flukes of nature?  Did they not question how these things could happen apart from God?

When you think about it, complaining and grumbling does not take much effort.  It comes easy.  It does not need much of a push to get us there.  This seems to be our natural state of mind if left unchecked.  Still, it is a choice.

Just as it is an intentional choice to grumble and complain, it is an intentional choice to believe (trust in, rely on, cling to) God.  For those who do, they will see the Mighty hand of God at work.  They will hear His whispers of leading, encouragement, hope, peace, and joy, with eyes and ears wide open.  They will cling to His promises.   They will call on Him.  They will pray to Him.  They will rely on Him.  They will trust in Him.  They will seek and desire Him.  They will honor and glorify Him.  They will humbly serve Him.  They will wait on Him.  They will follow Him.  They will obey Him.

Warning of fallow ground

“if riches increase, set not your heart on them.”

Hosea 10:11Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors, therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,

Proverbs 1:31  therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

Psalms 52:7  “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

Galatians 6:7-8  Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Isaiah 31:1  Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD!

Isaiah 55:6  “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

Luke 13:24  “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

Jeremiah 29:12-14  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the LORD,

When it comes to full commitment to God, fallow (unsown; unused, dormant, resting, empty, bare, stagnant; barren, unproductive) ground has no place in our heart and mind.  Yet, it seems the place where most comfort is found and why so many lack God’s power, strength, peace and rest for their lives.  Life is easy when we can do what seems best in our own eyes. 

When we void ourselves of God’s word and it’s affect on and in our life, how is faith to grow, how can true kindness be displayed, how is generosity glorifying to God, how is God’s love understood, how is sin made known, how is the need for forgiveness and salvation understood, how is the need for repentance seen, how is God praised, how are eyes able to see His might and awesome work, how are spiritual gifts used, how are others to hear, how is Christ proclaimed, how is the love of God proclaimed, how is worship meaningful, how are we to hear His whispers of guidance????????

Keep the word of God in your daily routine.  Keep prayer and communication with God active.  Keep your ears open to His leading, correction, and promises.  Keep you eyes on His active working in the world around you.  Keep nurturing and growing your faith.  Keep the light of Christ’s love ever shinning.

There is no time to wait for another day to start being intentionally committed to His word every day.  Humbly serve, honor, glorify, praise, worship, follow and obey Him.

You will seek me and find me

Psalms 107:4  Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;  hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

 Deuteronomy 8:15    who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock,

 Deuteronomy 32:10     “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

 Ezekiel 34:12     As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

 Numbers 14:33    And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.

 Judges 15:18-19     And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the LORD and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”  And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day.

 Lamentations 2:19     “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street.”

 2 Corinthians 12:8-10    Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 Jeremiah 29:12-14     Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

 2 Corinthians 1:8-10    For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.  Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.  He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

There is no changing in God.  He remains the same, creator, mighty, awesome in power, steadfast love, grace, mercy, and long-suffering toward His creation, mankind.  Life would tell us there is little that changes for mankind as our nature would experience – pleasure, pain, purpose, satisfaction, toil, trouble, sickness, death, life, joy, anger, pride, humbleness, laughter, bitterness, praise, judgmental, forgiving, and crying.   We try to find much of our way in this life apart from God.  Apart from trusting in, relying on, clinging to, and giving thanks to Him.  Even when we think we are walking each day with Him, we limit what we think He can do.  Scripture has been given to us so that we might know Him more, understand Him more, love Him more, rely on Him more, trust in Him more, run to Him faster, listen to His quiet whispers of guidance more, seek Him more, and believe in Him more.  He never changes.  He is the same today and forever.  Spend time in His word. Seek Him and you will find Him.  Sometimes we need someone to just encourage us to run to Him.  It seems so obvious but many times it is the last thing we do.

I am not afraid

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Psalms 3:1
O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.”  But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.  I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill.  I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.  I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.  Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.  Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people!

Psalms 17:7
Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

Psalms 42:10
As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”

Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

Psalms 84:11
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Matthew 7:7
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Jeremiah 29:12
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Have you ever been in a situation where you thought the world was against you?  Have you ever had hope, faith, and trust in God that you could say  “even if there is a thousand who are against me, I am not afraid” because of your understanding of who God is?  Have you ever known what is like to seek God with your whole heart?  David saw the trouble around him and knew the intent to harm him.  He called out to God with the trouble and then claimed Him as his hope and shield.  He was not going to fear what man could do but rather who God is and what He had promised.  David claimed God’s steadfast love, His strength, and no good thing is withheld from those who walk uprightly.  We have so much to continue to know and understand about God this side of eternity.  Everyday there is something new to be thankful for.  A person once told me recently that he drove 20 miles to work on a farm.  He used to thank God for things he saw on the drive.  Fields, eyesight, hearing, transportation, trees, corn fields, rain, sunshine, clouds, sky, rivers, water, wind, thunder, lightening, snow, rocks, dirt, colors, etc…. the list is endless if we just give the minimal thought to it. Add to this the bible and His promises and now we can really have something to thank Him for.  Today see how many things you can thank God for – Keep Him on your mind no matter where you are or what you are doing.