Is God Still Talking?

Is God Still Talking?

PSALM 81 Is a sad saga of a people who would not listen to God. The compassionate heart of the Father in His numerous attempts to gain Israel’s attention and devotion and their persistent rejection are revealed in verses 8–14:

Psalm 81:8-14 (NASB)

8 “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

9 Let there be no strange god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

10 I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

11 But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me.

12 So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices.

13 Oh that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!

14 I would quickly subdue their enemies And turn My hand against their adversaries.”

One can feel the pulsebeat of God as He pleads for the nation of Israel, saying, “Please listen to Me. Please hear My voice.” Each of us, too, should ask, “Lord, have You been trying to tell me something that I desperately need to hear? Are You exhorting me to listen to Your Voice?” I wonder how many times God has spoken to us, and we were not listening. I wonder how many times He had something specific we needed to hear, but we were too occupied to pay attention.

Back in 1988 I had attended a Pastors conference where Dr. Charles Stanley was teaching and stated the following and I have never forgotten these startling words. These words should profoundly affect the many pastors that are so busy with the endless ministerial and community activities that they are engaged in.

“There was a time in my ministry when I was too occupied doing the Lord’s work to pay attention to God’s Voice. I was preaching six times a week, taping two television programs, traveling across the country, writing a book, pastoring the church, and administrating a large church staff and broadcast ministry (among other daily duties). As a result of all this activity, I found myself in the hospital for a week and out of circulation for three months. As I look back over that time, I realize that God was trying to get my attention through my body, but I didn’t listen. Then, finally, I couldn’t go any further.”

I believe one of the most valuable lessons we can ever learn is how to listen to God. In the midst of our complex and hectic lives, nothing is more urgent, nothing more necessary, nothing more rewarding than hearing what God has to say. And, the Bible is explicit, God speaks to us just as powerfully today as in the days in which the Bible was written. His Voice waits to be heard, and having heard it, we are launched into the greatest, most exciting adventure we could ever imagine.