May it be as You have Said

Hearing God’s voice is an exciting experience. Unless our heart is impure, hearing His voice is much more fulfilling and valuable than winning the lottery.

But there are moments when what He says to us concerning our own lives can be puzzling and even distressing.

This is especially true when all that we hear from other people about when God has spoken to them is always uplifting and blessing-type testimonies.

There are zillions of testimonies from people who say that God told them to give a specific amount of money to a specific ministry and a few days later, a bunch of money unexpectedly arrived in their mailbox. And there are just as many testimonies about how God brought alive a verse of scripture about healing and the person was healed. And there are the stories about how God led someone to a really good parking space at the crowded mall during the Christmas holidays.

But there are times when He will speak things to us that can bring unpleasant experiences, including persecution.

When was the last time you heard a story from a person who heard from God and nearly everything that happened to him was bad? “Well, praise the Lord! God told me to do such-and-such and when I did, everyone in my church thought I was nuts and rejected me!”

That very scenario happened to Martin Luther.

Christians in America are constantly bombarded with the world’s view of success: being popular, wealthy, having nice clothes, expensive cars, and so on. And unfortunately, we have allowed some of that same deception into our churches.

Success in God’s eyes is our obedience to His voice regardless of how dangerous it is to our own lives. In the letters to the seven churches (Revelation 2, 3), Jesus told only one of them that they were rich. The Church in Smyrna was in fact, financially very poor and their afflictions were many. Because Jesus thought they were rich, yet they were poor and suffering, with today’s idea of success, we would teach and expect God to bless them, heal them, and let peace rule in their lives. But no, Jesus goes on and tells them that they will suffer even more, that some will be jailed, and some will even be killed.

Now isn’t that encouraging? Be obedient, things are bad already, and they’re only going to get worse.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a perfect example of hearing God’s voice, being obedient to His voice, and facing and enduring the dangers from her own friends and people.

After Gabriel explained that she was going to birth the Son of the Most High, Mary’s last words to him were, “I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1:38).

Mary gave us an example of the perfect heart towards receiving and doing whatever God speaks to us.

Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, was old and barren. God revealed to each of them that they would become pregnant. But they each experienced two completely opposite emotions and reactions:

Mary was greatly troubled and afraid. Elizabeth was joyful because she had been barren, she was old, and her reproach among men would be removed.

Mary faced the possibility of death by stoning by her own people because she was not married. Elizabeth’s relatives and neighbors were very supportive and joyous.

Mary gave birth far away from her home, family, and friends. Elizabeth gave birth amid great fanfare with the whole village in celebration.

To birth the Word that she was given, Mary endured shame, suspicion, humiliation, rejection, and the possibility of a death sentence.

We might receive a similar word from the Lord as someone else and yet as we walk in obedience to that word, things look more and more wonderful for the other person and worse and worse for ourselves. But we must not see as man sees.

It would not be unlike God if He gave His church a new and great revelation of His Word through someone who is poor, lives in obscurity, and faced persecution from fellow Christians.

It is my prayer for you that Father will continue to help you to hear His voice, and more and more frequently.

With God’s grace and in His peace,

Gary

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