“Yet my friends laugh at me, for I call on God and expect an answer. I am a just and blameless man, yet they laugh at me.”—Job 12:4 (NLT)
People who “hear from God” seem very unusual sometimes. When Joseph
was a young man, he told his family about dreams he had in the night.
His older brothers and doting father were absolutely offended. Not only
did Joseph claim the dream was from God, Joseph was the hero in the
story he narrated! The audacity! Joseph will surely get what’s coming to him, his brothers schemed.
Young King David developed a very unique relationship with God
through the solitude of tending and protecting his father’s flock in the
wilderness. It was there he trained to listen carefully and discern the
voice of God.
When David met his older brothers on the battlefield, they were weary
from daily humiliation, blasphemies, and taunts from their enemies
including the giant Goliath. David answered their blaspheming with
faith-filled words. David’s words offended the sensibilities of his
cynical, overly sensitive brothers. To them, he appeared presumptuous
and arrogant. David will surely get what’s coming to him, his brothers connived.
When Job was being laughed at, he actually had a reputation for being
a “just and blameless man.” Yet calamity struck Job’s life and ramped
up in frequency and intensity that shocked the entire community. So much
so that it made his neighbors and friends—even his wife—scorn him despite his spotless reputation. Job is surely getting what’s coming to him, they all thought.
Jesus tells us, “Pray to your Father in private. Then your Father,
who sees everything, will reward you” (Matthew 6:6 NLT). This private
place is where Jesus transforms our lives so that His kingdom can break
through and impact the kingdoms of this world.
Like David, John the Baptist learned to hear from God in the solitude
of the wilderness. He, too, seemed unusual, counter-culture—always
rubbing people the wrong way with God’s Word. It finally cost him his
head.
When speaking of John the Baptist, Jesus said there wasn’t a greater
prophet (Luke 7:28). The strange thing is Jesus never said that to John,
He only said it about him. Personal satisfaction is never God’s goal
for using you to deliver His message to people. God expresses Himself
through you to bring His kingdom near.
So, rejoice if you’re treated like one of these heroes. Now you’re getting the job done.
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