Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Friday, May 29, 2020

"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."¹

I have read how, in days of yesteryear, people used ice-houses in order to preserve their food. I heard how one man lost his pocket watch while working in one of these ice-houses. He searched diligently for it raking through all the sawdust on the floor—but without success. Fellow workers also failed to find it.

A boy who wanted to know what all the fuss was about went into the ice-house, closed the door, and before long he emerged with the watch.

"How did you do it?" the men asked.

"I closed the door," the boy replied, "lay down with my ear in the sawdust on the floor, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking."²

Many people ask, "Does God speak to people today?" And how would I know if God spoke to me?

Actually God speaks to us in a myriad of ways. But unless we stand still long enough and listen with our heart, we may never hear Him. God may not speak in an audible voice but He "speaks" very specifically through His Word, the Bible. But we need to read and study it to get His message. And God "shouts" to us through creation. As His Word, the Bible, says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."³

God also speaks to us through various circumstances. Unfortunately, some of us don't stop and listen until a crisis hits us and causes us to slow down and take stock of our life.

Basically, however, in life we see what we want to see, we hear what we want to hear, and we pay attention to what we want to pay attention. Hearing God's voice is a choice. If we truly want to hear it, we will.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You that You have revealed yourself clearly to all of mankind especially through Your Word, the Bible, and through Your creation. Please help me to slow down and listen with my heart to what You are saying to me. Help me to not only hear, but also to obey. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Psalm 46:10 (NIV).
2. Story taken from "Directions" by James Hamilton.
3. Psalm 19:1-4 (NIV).

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