Hearing His Voice #185

[Paul wrote,] “Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles.”

1 Timothy 1:18

Paul doesn’t tell us what the prophetic words were that were given to Timothy, or who gave them. They aren’t scriptural words, but they were an accurate expression of God’s heart and His will for Timothy when they were given. They may have been spoken by Paul or one of his associates, the community of believers in Timothy’s hometown, or any other combination of people. And apparently they were sufficient to fuel Timothy’s calling and keep him focused.

God’s words have that kind of power. When we hear them, whether directly in our spirits or through other believers, we have a divine invitation to cling to them and let them shape our focus. With all the distractions and obstacles that come against us, we need that. We won’t stay on a direct course or have the energy to keep following it if we’re questioning how we’ve been led in the past. We have a nearly limitless capacity to second-guess ourselves, and many of us constantly reconsider whether we’re heading in the right direction. Confidence in what God has said gives us the clarity we need.

Listen well to what God has told you. You will go into battle with it later. Paul urged Timothy to fight with the words he had been given, likely knowing that both Timothy and the people around him might have a tendency to question his calling. Prophetic words that have given you direction in the past become an anchor when you begin to question that direction in confusing times. In God’s Kingdom, when the going gets tough, the tough will use God’s past words as weapons against every misleading thought, suggestion, distraction, and obstacle. His words yesterday are your key to victory today.

Lord, I’m clinging to what You said. I won’t depart from it, no matter what contradictions I hear or think. Help me pursue only the calling You’ve given.