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Daily Devotion: Joshua 3:9


Joshua 3:9    "And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God."

We touched on this aspect of our daily walk with God a few days ago. Now I want to cause myself to stop and listen. When God first brought Israel out of Egypt, He provided visual effects for them to know His presence was with them. He went before them in the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. He literally guided them for forty years; but now, it's time to go deeper into the arena of faith. Yes, there will be miracles that follow. They will see the waters of the flooded Jordan River parted and they will walk across on dry ground. They will see the walls fall of the great walled city of Jericho. But the most important thing they must learn is how to listen to God. Thus we see Joshua saying to them, "Come hither, and HEAR the words of the LORD your God."

It is important for us to understand that God speaks to us. There was an uproar in the media a few years ago when someone said they listened for God's instructions. One so-called celebrity went so far as to suggest there were mental problems with the individual. I want to say very matter of factly, "God speaks to His children on a daily basis." It is our responsibility to exercise the art of listening to Him.

(Isaiah 30:20-21)    "And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:  (21)  And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."  God gives us direction when it comes to the time of making decisions. The greatest decisions that are made come as the result of the Lord giving direction and we follow those directions.

(Isaiah 50:4)    "The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned."  We want the Lord to hear us when we pray and at the same time, we need to be sensitive and ready to listen as He speaks to us. When we are troubled in spirit, the Lord knows how to speak the correct word to us. When we are tired whether it be physically, emotionally, or spiritually, the Lord knows how to speak the correct word to us. When we feel ourselves to be alone, the Lord knows how to speak to us that we can realize His presence is with us. When we ask for forgiveness, the Lord knows how to speak the word of forgiveness into our hearts.

I have never heard the audible voice of God, but I assure you that I have heard Him speaking into my heart. I'm sure you have also. So the next key to success in our Christian walk is learning how to follow Him when He speaks. This is what Israel is about to learn. Have a blessed day.

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