Give Thanks and Bring a Miracle!
Jesus came to the town of Bethany to help his friend, Lazarus. His friend had died four days prior and was in a tomb! Jesus wanted to show another miracle before He went to the cross. He wanted the people to know that the Father had sent Him (John 11:42). He started with a prayer to Father God, saying (John 11:41):
“Father, I THANK You that You have heard Me!”
Jesus said it also when He fed the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish! Holding up the bread and looking up to heaven, Jesus gave THANKS and broke the bread (Luke 9:16).
Doesn’t there seem to be a connection between Thanks and receiving the blessings of the Father? Maybe you can bring a miracle into your life!
Hearing the “Still Small Voice”
As I discussed briefly in the August 2020, Blog, there is a way to hear from the Lord in your quiet time. Since 1999, I have had the privilege of getting “still small voice messages” from the Lord, often in the middle of the night. As Mario Murillo has said, “There is something about 3 AM that stimulates hearing God’s voice. Perhaps it is because this is the beginning of the “4th watch.” For watchmen on the walls of cities in Israel, the 4th watch (3 AM to 6AM) was known to be the “time of revelation.” Perhaps God recognized the need for sleepy watchmen to have some reason to stay alert at that deep-of-the-night period! In any case, I have found great treasures of wisdom, guidance, tender correction, and encouragement in messages I have written in the Journals I use to record these messages. Many have helped us to decide important job changes, purchases of homes, ministry plans, and concerns about our children or friends. We have filled more than a dozen journals since 1999.
Jesus put the Holy Spirit in us when we were saved so that we could hear his voice (“My sheep listen to my voice”, John 10:27, NIV).
Some Helpful Hints
You might be saying, how can I hear His voice? How do I learn to do that? It is surprisingly easy but make take some time. Honestly, I was not aware of this ability when I was saved. It took me nearly 20 years as a Christian before I heard clearly. But I recently suggested these ideas of hearing God to a friend, and she did it the very next night! Here are some tips on how to learn to hear His voice more clearly:
- Pray that Jesus will help you hear His voice.
- “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find” (Matthew 7:7 NIV)—Believe that God wants you to hear—Keep asking!
- Read and believe bible verses that talk about hearing God, such as Psalm 100—“Enter His gales with THANKSGIVING…” It will increase your faith (see other verses below).
- Read one of the many books written about hearing from God (those by Shawn Bolz, Cindy Jacobs, Dallas Willard, Peter Lord, John Bevere, Catherine Marshall, and more—just search for “Books about Hearing God” and you will find a ton of them!).
- Sacrifice some sleep time and try the middle of the night, and start your prayer with Thanksgiving, to encourage the Lord to start a conversation with you.
- Keep track of your messages by writing them in a journal so you can connect them to possible miracles. (The soaking music for journaling by Julie True is recommended).
- Read the bible verses that include Thanks or Thanksgiving, such as:
- Give THANKS to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.(Psalm 118:29)
- Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25)
- Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
There is 70+ more uses of these powerful words. Try www.blueletterbible.org and do a search for Thanks or Thanksgiving. And play the song, OH Happy Day (find it on YouTube). It will lift your spirits!
May God bless you and begin a new work in you to Hear His Voice!
Pastor G. Harold Roid