Uncommon Gift: Hearing God

Uncommon Gift: Hearing God “Breaking the Silence”

Wow, Wow, Wow…wasn’t that amazing…did this team just do an amazing job…

I was a bit bummed out that they didn’t sing my favorite Christmas Song made popular by Bing Crosby:

“Do You Hear What I Hear…” ‘Said the night wind to the little lamb, do you hear what I hear…Pray for peace, people everywhere….do you hear what I hear.”  ‘The Child the child sleeping in the night. He will bring us goodness and light, he will bring us goodness and light.”’

A Song about Hope…but written in a time of turmoil, fear, crisis, imminent danger if something doesn’t happen…

The song was written during the Cuban Missile Crisis…

Gal 4:4-7 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.ESV

  • “Fullness of Time” refers to that time when the World was providentially ready for the birth of the Savior.
  • So that tells me there was some preparation that was going on behind the scenes that most people were not aware of…But God was Working…
    • Let’s Look Historically
    • Alaxander the Great who had conquered the entire World in just 13 short years…had made a decree that the known world would be required to speak, write, and communicate in one language…Common Greek.
      • The New Testament ends up being written in the Common language of the day…Greek.
      • This was done 318 years before Christ was born…
    • The Romans with all the terrible things that they did…. did do a couple of things that set up the coming of the Messiah…
      • The Peace of Rome
        • Allowed Free Travel without Fear of Brutality…. enforced by the Roman Government.
      • Rome built an elaborate and complex Roadway, Highway system throughout the Roman empire…

Transition:  This made it possible for Joseph and a Pregnant Mary to travel to Bethlehem, which had been prophesied the Messiah would be born there 700 years before his birth…also forced to travel because a census decree by Rome…all within God’s plan…

Yet, God is Silent…or is not mentioned…this is not the first time…we have the book of Esther where God’s name is never mentioned…but without question God is working behind the scenes…

BREAKING THE SILENCE

  • History tells us that God had been silent for 400 years…
  • God had not spoken to His people…there had been no prophets in Israel…only the Silence of God…
  • Yet do not think in His Silence that He is not active in our lives…

Uncommon Gift stories

 13 years ago my husband and I were able to be a part of giving the best gift ever. We had been in home-groups for many years with new people coming and going, but this group was different. There was a new young couple that hadn’t been in our area long and both were local school teachers. Over the course of our study they shared with us their journey of infertility and all the procedures they had went through to try to conceive. 

Together as a group we prayed over and over for their miracle. I soon began to feel burdened by this and could not get this couple out of my mind; even having dreams about them. I prayed about what all this means and what God was asking of me. I had always heard people talk of “hearing from God” or “God spoke to me” but never really had a clear understanding of what that meant. I had never heard the voice of God. It was in those weeks that I knew this was God speaking to me very clearly, not in an audible way like I had expected. 

 In my prayers I began asking God how I could help.  I immediately got an answer of IVF treatment, so I looked up the information and cost.  We have never given anyone that amount of money, much less someone that we had barely known, and not even closely connected to. I started to think maybe I was going a little crazy, and knew if I was ever going to gift someone this amount of money I had to consult my husband. I knew he was going to be the voice of reason and tell me that I have lost my mind and it wasn’t God speaking to me. 

Later that night I told him about all of my dreaming and the feeling I could not seem to shake no matter how hard I tried. He looked at me with tear-filled eyes and said yes! He said he had also been feeling the same way and knew it was something God had called us to be a part of. The next month we got the largest tax refund that we had ever received. It was $5 over the cost of the entire IVF treatment!! 

Shortly after their baby was born they moved back to their hometown to be closer to family. I know in my heart that God had brought this couple to Baytown for this season and nothing more. I know that they would say that we were the gift givers, but I would have to disagree.  Being a part of this journey was definitely a gift to both me and my husband.  

Since this day, I have also learned to be still and listen! I have learned to be obedient even when it doesn’t make sense. I absolutely know that I will hear from God when I seek his voice and have ears to hear.. and this has been the best gift ever for me. ❤️ Laura Carr

 

HOW DOES GOD SPEAK TO US

  • First and foremost, through the scriptures
  • A still small voice
  • Inner Conviction
  • Godly, wise council
  • Circumstances
  • The Peace of God
  • Provision
  • Nature
  • Rarely God will speak audibly.

But after 400 years of God beings Silent…He broke the silence with the Cry of a Baby being born in a stable in Bethlehem…then angles and a host of Heaven exploded into the sky for shepherds to see and hear…then a Star appeared in the Sky…

One of the Most Uncommon Gifts you will ever receive from God is being able to Hear and Know His Voice…

  • You Sense the Overwhelming Love of God
  • It may be Conviction.
  • It may be Direction.
  • Could be that some one hears God say, “Buy so in so a car…”
  • It may be someone who stands up and gives, so someone else can have or adopt a baby…
  • Maybe you have thought Life has been against you…but maybe, just maybe…God has been setting things up for your good this Christmas Season.

Email my notes