Hearing His Voice #40

Nathan replied to the king, “Go ahead and do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you.” But that same night the LORD said to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in?’”

2 Samuel 7:3-5

Nathan was a genuine prophet who knew when to speak boldly into David’s life. But when David inquired about building a temple, Nathan told him that the Lord would be with him—and then had to backtrack when God corrected him. Something similar happened to Isaiah when he told King Hezekiah that he would not recover from his sickness. Isaiah’s absolute statement had to be retracted (see 2 Kings 20:1-6). And after Jonah flatly declared that Nineveh would be overthrown in forty days, he had to be somewhat embarrassed when God saw Nineveh’s repentance and relented (see Jonah 3:4, 10). All three men were true prophets who gave unequivocal statements about God’s plans. And all were redirected.

We often assume that the biblical prophets heard perfectly and never had to modify their prophecies, but Scripture tells us otherwise. Sometimes they were mistaken and had to revise their statements, and sometimes they were right but had to retract their absolute declarations when God seemed to change His plans. The communication process between God and prophet wasn’t always simple or smooth. And God seemed to have no problem with that at all.

When we listen for God’s voice, we must realize that we will inevitably misunderstand some things, sometimes even falling flat on our faces. But God is okay with that. Even the greatest prophets had to sort things out sometimes. We may correctly hear God say one thing and then seem to lead us in another direction. Or we may be convinced we’ve heard Him accurately and be mistaken about it. Just as a parent is patient with a toddler’s attempts at language, God is patient as we learn His voice. And we will eventually understand Him well.

Lord, thank You for Your grace and patience as I learn Your voice. Help me learn to recognize it immediately, and guide me clearly when I don’t.