Hearing His Voice #50

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

2 Timothy 3:16

We serve a very vocal God. The world cannot contain all the words He has spoken, but we do have a record of many of them. The Bible is the written account of His words, the only authoritative source of doctrine and expression of His overall will. In it, God tells us what He is like, what His purposes are, and how we can relate to Him. He has uttered many words that weren’t written in Scripture—references to prophets who spoke for Him but never wrote anything are enough to convince us of that—but what is written is reliable. In our search for His voice, the Bible is our primary source.

We have to learn how to interpret God’s Word, however. At times, He is quoted directly. At other times, writers describe Him or tell stories about encounters people had with Him. The Bible is always true in reporting what people said or believed, but not everything they said or believed is true. For example, Job’s friends had a lot to say about God and His ways, and the book of Job records their arguments accurately. Some of what they said was true, but much of it wasn’t or was wrongly applied. The reader is left to discern when the person being quoted is reliable and when he or she isn’t. It isn’t always clear. We have to ask the Spirit to help us with the interpretation.

That means that even when we’re reading the inspired Word of God, we still have to listen for God’s voice. Many are attracted to the “objectivity” of reading the written Word, but centuries of differing opinions and misguided interpretations should be enough to convince us that our objectivity isn’t very objective. We need God’s help to hear His voice in His Word. When we read, we must open our ears to hear.

Lord, give me understanding. Enliven Your Word and let it sink deeply into my heart.