Hearing His Voice #47

The LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets.”

Habakkuk 2:2

Write it down. That’s what God told Habakkuk, Isaiah, Moses, and John—and probably quite a few other prophets—when He spoke to them. His words were important enough not to be forgotten or unintentionally edited when told to others. He wanted them inscribed for the sake of clarity and permanence. Many people, even from future generations, would be able to read what He had said.

That’s good advice. Journaling what God has told us will help us remember it and share it with others. Unlike the biblical prophets, we aren’t writing words that will become Scripture, so the imperative isn’t quite the same as it was when God instructed them to do it. But it’s helpful to keep track of what God has said over time. When we look back at this journal, we can determine whether we are following the instructions He gave us and remembering the lessons He taught us. Casual hearers don’t record what they have heard, and a week later they may not even remember it. Attentive hearers, however, are diligent about following God’s words and applying them. Just as a couple may keep old love letters or chronicle their love in a diary, we celebrate our relationship with God when we preserve what He has said.

We can’t afford to risk letting God’s words fall to the ground without applying them. He speaks in order for lives to change. The best way to honor His voice is to respond and change according to what He says. And the best way to respond and change is to write down what He has told us and cling to it over time. When we do, we will be able to appreciate how the relationship has grown, how He has invested in us, how He has led us step by step, and how His direction today builds on what He has told us in the past.

Lord, journaling may never have been my forte, but Your words are too valuable for me to forget them. Help me to write them down accurately, and remind me to review them frequently. Teach me to treasure Your voice.