The Very Best Thing

Hebrews 1:1-2a – Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. (MSG)

The very best thing about God, I've found, is that there is never a language barrier. Because God reads hearts and minds, and not just words or actions, we can never put one over on Him. He knows the true reason for everything. He knows the whole story without our telling or interruptions. When He speaks to our hearts, the ideas, with all the tiny details are right there, full-blown.

When my son was much younger and scraped a knee or got a cut, he would come in crying. We found that the best way to stop the noise and anguish was to ask him what happened. As the story came out, the tears would stop as he tried to remember just how the story went. Sometimes, the story came out without mention of his doing something that he had been told not to do.

But God knows the truth — the whole story — even the parts that we would rather leave out. Sometimes, He wants us to tell the story so that we will see how ridiculous we are being, or so that we will see the truth behind our situation and the lies that we are telling ourselves, or the lies that others are telling us and we are falling for.

2 Samuel 7:17 – So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said in this vision. (NLT)

David's encounter with the prophet Nathan is a good example. God sends Nathan to tell David a story of a rich man stealing a lamb from a poor man who had only the one. God didn't accuse David of doing the same thing when he stole Bathsheba, the only wife of Uriah, but through this conversation with Nathan, He let David know that he wasn't hiding a thing from Him. God was very much aware of his actions.

God is omniscient (knows all) and omnipresent (always there). He communicates to our hearts and minds, and even uses others if we're hard of hearing. I've found Him to be a God of few words (not including a word count of Bibles, translations, and paraphrases!) so we have to listen closely.

When God speaks to me, I often find myself with one-word answers or pictures. After pondering all the things that He might mean, I have that aha! moment when I clearly see His answer, full-blown. Focusing and waiting for the answer with an open mind is the key for me.

Today, may each of us choose to take the time to consider, with a focused and open mind, the truth which God may be seeking to speak into our situation or heart.

Prayer: Father God, thank You that there is never a language barrier with You. You know the whole story, from the beginning right to the end. Teach us to listen for Your words with every fibre of our being, and to focus on Your work and Your hand in our lives. Amen.