Hearing from God: He Speaks To The Special, Chosen Ones

As you read the Bible you quickly realize God spoke to all the special, chosen ones:

And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

“I am God, the God of your father,” He said.

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As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses.... The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.

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Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm: “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me...”

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The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

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One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent...”

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God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”

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The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

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“‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I [Paul] asked.

“‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’”

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There are so many more references of God speaking directly to His chosen people; people who responded and did notable stuff. Literally chapters of stuff for God was done by those chosen ones that He also spoke to. In fact, I don't think there was anyone who did manage to do miraculous achievements and deeds in the name of the Lord that also did not hear God speak to them.

How often then, do we say, “Well God speaks to them, but He doesn't speak to an 'average Joe/Joanne' like me. I'm not one of those chosen/special people in the Bible, that's for sure. I haven't chatted face to face with God and heard God call me His friend.”

See, we need to realize that God speaks to special people; people chosen by Him.

“If only I had a friendship like Moses did and was considered God's friend.”

“If only God considered me a man after His own heart.”

“If only, God, if only, if only, I was like one of them...if only I was special.”

I want to talk with that burning bush. I want the Lord to call my name and wake me in the midst of the night to chat. I want to have some one-on-one time with God too. Simply, I need to realize God speaks to the special, chosen ones.

Go ahead and write out all the special attributes and characteristics of David before and after becoming King. Noah was a righteous man. Look at what made Samuel special, he was dedicated to the Lord at birth and lived in the very Temple of God after all. Then there is Peter, Paul, and Mary (not the folk band). Take a serious look at the list of their characteristics, talents, and calling. Can we even come close to these special, chosen heroes of the Bible?

Did these hero's of our faith eat, sleep and struggle with the same things we do?

Did they put on their robe one arm at a time, like we do our pants; one leg at a time.

Can we walk in their slippers?

Did they ever question God?

Did they speak with pizazz and have a plethora of words and pithy phrases at their disposal?

Did they ever get upset, or misunderstand God's movement?

Did they ever ask, “why me Lord?”

Did they ever piss off God?

Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

But Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”

Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it.”

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Paul said:

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

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But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”

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Hmm, maybe these special, chosen people were just like we are. Can you begin to realize that it is God who choses whom He will speak to? And I'd venture a good guess He'd like to include you and I on that list. After all, God calls us His treasured possession, His chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.

Jesus declared:

“You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Wow, we are friends of Jesus, when we do the will of God He even calls us His brother and sister.

So I hope you are beginning to see the differences between us and the heroes of the Bible can be just that...they are the heroes of the Bible and we too can be heroes.

Right here, right now, we can choose to seek Him; listen the best we can, grow in our relationship and be like sheep who know their master's voice—the voice of the Living God. See, we are His special, chosen ones.

Shhhh, Someone is speaking, listen and you'll hear from God.

Abba ROCKS!