“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5b)
Dear people of God, in other to be able to listen to the voice or instructions of God, there are certain questions we will need answers to. How do we know the voice of God? Do we have an open ear to hear the voice of God? Is something distracting us or getting all the attention that we find it difficult to pay attention to the voice of God? Is God really speaking to us? Are we ready to act on the voice of God? Etc. Brethren, because we are the children of God, He is always ready to speak to us and he wants us to listen to him when He speaks. There is no point hearing the voice of God when the will is not there to act on his words. God’s desire is for us to listen to his words so that our paths will be straight and directed towards his will alone.
We can hear the word of God through the Holy Scriptures, Prayer, Meditations, godly admonishments etc. All this can happen through dedicated and conscious efforts without neglecting fellowship we need each other in this Christian journey.
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
(I Thessalonians 5:11)
We should be ready to do a lot of sacrifices when we desire to listen to God, these sacrifices must come with total devotion and with great faith. Abram was totally devoted to God and was a man of great faith without any doubts in the voice of God. God told Abram to leave his family, his father’s house and his country to a place that God himself was going to show him.
God will always give us specific instructions when he speaks and will let us know what he intends to do with us, but it will take faith and total devotion to make the decision to obey.
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God,
must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
God’s instruction to Abram came with a huge promise that will change his life forever all that Abram needed to do was to heed to the voice of God with faith.
Now, God’s promise was to make out of Abram a great nation, bless him, make his name famous, bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him. When we listen to the voice of God our sacrifice will never be in vain because his admonishments always lead to greater things for those who listen. Abram listened to the voice of God without hesitation left the father’s house, family, and his country without question. This is total dedication and devotion to the voice of God. Abram will be changed and turned into someone different because he listened to the voice of God.
When we constantly rely on the power of God, we will always have no doubts in our minds when God speaks to us his call is for us to be holy so our reliance on him and his word makes us holy. Our holiness is through Jesus Christ because that is his purpose for us it is to his grace. We live by grace, and it emanates from our saviour Jesus Christ.
In this glorious transfiguration we see Jesus Christ appearance changing and becoming glorious, a voice comes from the clouds with specific message that this is my beloved son, listen to him. Jesus is the one we must listen to because he is the word of God and therefore the one, we need to propagate, the good news. By proclaiming and listening to Jesus, the good news we get life and death is abolished and gain immortality through the Jesus Christ.
May we continuously listen to the voice of God with faith, act on it and his blessings, protection and greatness will never miss us.
“Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:20)
Fr. Josiah Myles Abadoo