A couple of weeks back I wrote and shared about fellowship. Now one of the things that I have learned is that most times when I am inspired to write about something, it is often something God wants me to learn about. Of course this was not always the case but I believe, in my faithfulness God has established a channel to communicate with me. This is not a special way for me only, throughout the bible we learn about the many ways God used what was familiar to man to communicate with man. For instances, casting of lots which will be my extreme example, in ancient times was used as a tool to make impartial decisions. It is said that the heathen (people whose way of life and or idea of had no religion, or belonging to a religion that is not Christianity, Judaism, or Islam) used to cast lots believing that the gods would guide them in the decision through lots.  But in the bible, we learn and see a few instances where God directed decisions through the casting of lots. The Israelites used lots to divide the Promised land (Joshua 18:10), and we also learn of the apostles casting lots to choose Matthias as Judas’s replacement (Acts 1:26). In the account of Jonah, lots were cast to identify the cause of the storm threatening the ship. Jonah 1:7 states, “Come, let us cast lots, so we may know who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.”

I digress, where I am actually intending to go with this post is to share with you how I have since learnt that my being drawn to fellowship was not primarily to share on this blog but God was calling me into fellowship with Him. How did I know God was calling me into fellowship with Him?

  • Dissatisfaction– I shared about fellowship but felt unsatisfied, like I hadn’t learnt what I needed to learn.
  • Scriptural promptings – I kept being drawn to certain scriptures and books though I was not finding enough time to read through them. I kept having a desire to have more time to read the word.
  • A ‘burning bush’ – The week just became chaotic, and a small earthly fire became a big fire in a strange way. I found myself battling things that should not be causing battles and, in those moments, getting drawn to God more.

This reminded me of Exodus 3 when Moses got called at the burning bush. The bible says in verses 2-3 “There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”” And this is how God caught Moses’s attention.

I began to think of what made Moses pause and look or pay attention. Perhaps the unfamiliar sight of a bush that burns (njeee) randomly. Moses was baffled by the sight of a flame and an object not diminishing throughout the flame and that caught his attention.  But why did God not speak with Moses like He did with Samuel in (1Samuel 3) and just shout his name until he responds?  As I learn about the two different men being called by the same God for His works but the manner in which they are called is so different I unlocked such important lessons for myself and anyone else who is pursuing God and wanting to draw near and hear from God.

What are these lessons?

  1. The two men were indeed different from each other, Moses was not familiar with God’s voice or God’s ways.  So God used the burning bush to grab His attention. This is also evident in the scripture as you read on in Exodus 3:6 where God introduces Himself referencing His previous work saying “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob”.  These are people Moses is familiar with and their relationship with God.
  2. Samuel on the other hand was familiar with the things of God, he was brought up in the temple being mentored by Eli who was a priest. This is why God called Samuel in a more natural way. Even though Samuel may have not heard from God but he was around people who knew about the voice of God and could help him in discernment.

What does all this mean for you and me?

What this means for us is that we need to be aware that God does not communicate the same way with all of us. There is a popular scripture reference in Philippians 4:9 we all love to quote in our prayers about God meeting us at our point of need. This is the case even when it comes to how He communicates with us. The more we get familiar with His voice and yield unto it the less dramatic the sounds will be because God will not be trying to get our attention. He will have our attention just as we have His. His voice will be familiar.

Many of us often have to go through misfortunes and great losses before we pay attention to the voice of God that is always there. Just imagine if Moses hadn’t paid attention to the burning bush and the fire carried on to actually consume the bush and maybe his father in-law’s flock? Imagine the damage and loss that he would have had to live with.

It took me three instances to recognize that God was asking me to draw near, He was asking me into fellowship with Him. The third instance was a mini crisis that caused enough discomfort for me to recognize an outstanding issue but imagine if I had just responded accordingly at the dissatisfaction that I felt after sharing the last post which was despite your overwhelming positive feedback.

There are many instances like this one in our lives where our deeds may seem satisfactory to men but not necessarily to God, sometimes they are not even near what God wants us to do. My prayer is that we learn the discipline to quiet the good noise so we can hear and move with God as He moves. There is a reason God drew me to Moses, he himself (Moses) has many lessons to teach us about communicating with God. But what I wanted to draw you to is just the desire and ability to hear and the discipline to react or respond. He has used Moses to get my attention in this season but it may be a different voice for you. But how will you know if you are not familiar with that voice?

Well I hope this post will prompt you on your own journey to establish the voice of God in your own life and hear Him for yourself when He speaks to you.

Be Blessed 

#QuenchMyThirst #ThirstyThursday 

Thank God, Jesus pursued me.

LM

Lungie@quenchmythirst.life