Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 18:4-6
The ropes of death were wrapped around me;
the torrents of destruction terrified me.
5 The ropes of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 I called to the Lord in my distress,
and I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
Read the Entire Psalm
God Hears – In distress, David cried out to God. God heard David. God hears us. He is not deaf to our distress and difficulty. Even if death is knocking on the door. God hears us. He is always near.
Scripture Reading
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 – New International Version
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanks to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for Amelia. Ask God to encourage her and guide her as she serves overseas.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Listen When a military member hears the command, “Attention” it means more than just pay attention–it means prepare to respond. Moses is saying, “Israel…Attention!” They are to stand ready to hear and obey. Jesus said “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” The Lord is not being redundant; he is saying “If you are ready to obey, then you are ready to hear.” Are you ready to obey? God is saying to you today, “listen.” Listen with a heart ready to say, “Yes Lord!” Being ready to obey doesn’t always make it easy to understand what the Lord is asking from you, but it makes it possible. Unless we are living with a ready “yes,” we will not be positioned to understand what God is saying to us from his word. Ask God to help you have a ready “yes,” then ask him to speak to you from his word.