Hearing His Voice #23

I will wait to see what the LORD says.

Habakkuk 2:1

Habakkuk positioned himself to receive communication from God, but he uses very visual terms. He has climbed his watchtower, and he is waiting to see what God says. Surely he is speaking figuratively, isn’t he? Obviously, we can’t see a voice. He must mean he is opening his ears to hear, right?

Not necessarily. God often communicates in the pictures of our lives. We see in Scripture that His preferred language is visual. He has given us a book full of sensory experiences and manifest encounters, He instructs Ezekiel and other prophets to act out many of their prophecies, and He incarnated Himself into flesh so He could be fully realized right before our eyes. He is constantly painting pictures, whether with the symbolism of the Passover, the demonstrative details of the Tabernacle and the Temple, or the life stories of our heroes of faith. It only makes sense that if God has communicated with stories and symbols and visions, we might want to open our eyes to “hear” His voice. Again and again, throughout the Bible and history, God is a God of graphic parables.

What does it mean to “see what the LORD says”? At the very least, it means watching for demonstrations of His goodness through His people and our circumstances. The events of our lives aren’t random. “Coincidences” may be God’s effort to draw our attention to what He is doing, or they may be illustrations of greater truths. In the words of Malcolm Muggeridge, “Every happening, great and small . . . is a parable whereby God speaks to us; and the art of life is to get the message.” In a multitude of ways, God portrays His plans, His thoughts, and His desires to us. And we might begin to notice if we open our eyes to see what He is saying.

Lord, thank You for speaking in ways I can understand. Open my eyes to see the pictures Your voice creates around me. Fill my senses with parables of Your nature and invitations into Your ways.