Hearing His Voice #208

Believe in [the Lord’s] prophets, and you will succeed.

2 Chronicles 20:20

When Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah were surrounded by threatening armies, they cried out to God in desperation. They knew they were powerless; they needed a word from Him. In response, God inspired Jahaziel to speak the truth to them about the situation. The people believed and worshiped, and then prepared for the battle the next day.

It isn’t unusual to be fully inspired and encouraged by God in the evening and wake up the next day with a deflated spirit. So when morning came, Jehoshaphat reminded the people that this battle belonged to God, as had been prophesied, and that they could face their enemies without fear. How could he be sure of such a thing? He had heard God’s voice coming through one of the priests. The Spirit of the Lord seemed to have come upon this man. Jehoshaphat was confident that the key to success was believing in God’s prophets.

If you ask people if they believe there are prophets today, many will say no. But ask if they believe God speaks through His people, and many of those same people will say yes. What they mean is that they believe the era of the infallible Old Testament prophets who wrote Scripture is over. But that doesn’t imply that God no longer uses His people to express His voice. As He did with Jahaziel, God’s Spirit comes upon His people and inspires them to convey His thoughts about a specific situation. And when He does, the difference between success and failure is whether we believe what He says through them.

Those who see God’s voice as alive and active are able to follow His instructions for success. Those who see His voice as too mysterious to understand will never be certain about His guidance in the first place. Believing His prophets—those who share and declare His thoughts—is the key to victory in any area of life.

Lord, what are You saying to me through Your people? If I err in understanding, may it be on the side of belief rather than skepticism. Show me the path to success in all Your purposes.