How do we respond when we hear the Word of the Lord?

Posted Nov 21, 08:39

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai” (Jonah 1:1).

Operation Nineveh starts with: The Word of the Lord came to Jonah.

How did Jonah receive this Word?

It might have started on a cool evening sometime between 780 and 750 B.C. while Jonah relaxed on his back patio. For this prophet life was good. Other prophets railed against the people and proclaimed God’s judgment. They were persecuted and even killed because their messages were so unpopular. (That’s what Jesus said in Luke 11:47-48.) But Jonah was popular with the people and the political establishment. His message to King Jeroboam II was that God would restore the lost borders of Israel (2 Kings 14:25). Finally some good news after so many defeats! And then to see his prophecy fulfilled. He was welcome anytime in the king’s court.

“Jonah!” the voice called. Probably one of his neighbors or a cousin, he thought. Couldn’t they leave him alone at the end of a long, hot day? But the rules of hospitality required that you never leave your neighbor standing outside, not even in the middle of the night. Who knows? Maybe he had some unexpected guests who needed bread.

“Come in,” Jonah answered.

“Jonah!”

Oh no! That was neither his neighbor, nor his cousin. This was … his Boss! He’d better get out of his chair and answer.

“Yes Lord.”

Of course he knew when the Lord started speaking; he was a prophet after all. There were not many prophets in Jonah’s time. Actually, it seemed God did not speak much any more and it surely showed in the life of the nation. Despite recent military gains, there were enemies inside and outside Israel’s borders. Whether you looked at things from an economic, moral or spiritual perspective, there was little cause for rejoicing.

The name “Jonah” means “Dove” which is the symbol of the Holy Spirit who searches the very depth of our hearts. Jonah’s job as a prophet was to submit to the Holy Spirit. However, as we’ll soon see, Jonah instead argued with God.

How do we respond when we hear the Word of the Lord? A Russian pastor, during the years when Bibles were not allowed to be printed in the Soviet Union, in answer to prayer received a copy of the Bible and eagerly distributed pages to each person in his church. The next day the pastor was in town and saw a member of his congregation with a big smile. “You must have gotten a good page,” said the pastor. “Oh yes,” said the man. “I received a page from Jeremiah!” “Oh, that gloomy prophet,” said the pastor. “He preached his heart out and never saw any results. I have a page from Matthew. Why don’t we swap?” The man said, “Oh no pastor. Listen to what this says. ‘The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.’ If the Word of the Lord can come to Jeremiah, it can come to me too!”

God spoke to Jonah because Jonah had a relationship with God. God also speaks to us if we have a relationship with Him. Are we listening? Do we hear Him? Are we eager to receive God’s Word? Are we ready to obey it?

Or are our heads filled with noise? Are the headphones of an MP3 player constantly plugged into our ears? Must we always have the television on in the room? Are our schedules filled to overflowing with meetings and activities? If so, how do we know when God is speaking to us?

What are the consequences if we miss God’s Word to us? They could be catastrophic – eternity may hang in the balance for millions of souls.

source-Secret Believers

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