Hearing His Voice #290

The Word became human and made his home among us.

John 1:14

Throughout Hebrew Scripture, God tells us what He is like. He also shows His nature in His creation and in His dealings with Israel, His chosen people. He reveals His truth and His purposes. He interacts with human beings and teaches us who He is. Then, in Jesus, He came and demonstrated who He is. That’s different. The Word living among us in person tells us much more than sporadic encounters with an invisible deity can reveal. If we look at the Word of God as a person rather than as verbal communication, we get a dramatic picture of God’s heartbeat.

So when the Word embodied in flesh made His home among us, what did He display? First and foremost, He is an expression of love. He was moved with compassion to heal people who were hurting; He cultivated loving relationships among His followers, between one another, and with God; and He made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of all who would believe, laying down His life to rescue us. The Word embodies love.

If that’s what the Word looks like in the flesh, that’s also what the Word is going to sound like when He speaks to us today. His words will always be consistent with Scripture, but they will especially be consistent with the personality and presence of Jesus on earth. There is no discord between the Father, Son, and Spirit, nor is there any change in personality among them over time. The communication we receive from God today will have exactly the same flavor as the picture we see of the Word incarnate. God’s words to us will look and feel like Jesus.

Never forget that. Many people do, perceiving God through their own wounds and distorted emotional filters. But the Word is still passionately in love with His people, and any words that don’t express that love aren’t His. He is still pouring out His radical, sacrificial, compassionate love into our lives.

Jesus, I so often assume that You are displeased or demanding, and my ears seem to fill in the blanks with attitudes that aren’t Yours. Open my heart—and my ears—to Your relentless love.