Matters of Faith: Knowing The Voice of God

KNOWING THE VOICE OF GOD!
Rev. J. Loren Russell, BA, MDiv.

1 King 19:11-13 (NKJV)
“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.”

Someone asked me last week, “How did you know it was the voice of God?” It was asked after I shared that the Lord told me to continue doing the important work I was doing with churches of strategic planning and financial consulting after leaving my employ in denominational work. While I’d received a flurry of offers to do any number of things, none spoke to my spirit or made me feel at ease until one morning, while jogging through the park in my South Bronx community, I heard a gentle voice speak to my soul, whispering the words, “What you were doing is important. Keep doing it.”

I must have sounded like one of those “holy rollers” who gives credit to the Lord for every good thing that happens in their lives. Actually, that’s 100% accurate. I do give the Lord credit, not for some things, but for all things that have happened in my life. For me, Romans 8:28 is real; “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” But then, this was an opportunity to share my faith with someone who does not believe the way I do, who does not know the Savior like I know Him.

Elijah was running for his life when he went into a cave on Mt. Horeb for forty days and forty nights. There he listened for the voice of the Lord. There, “a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice” (1 King 19:11-12)

In order to hear from the Lord, he had to be patient, he had to be persistent, he had to be faithful. You have to listen for His voice. Don’t react to the many loud noises and spectacular things going on around you. To hear the voice of God, you’ve got to listen. To listen, you have to be silent. For Elijah to hear from the Lord, he listened through the wind, through the earthquake, and through the raging fire. He could have mistaken those noisy and demonstrative sounds for the voice of the Lord, but he waited until that small voice spoke to him.

I made a genuine connection that day, showing through my experience that He really does have a voice. I didn’t have a supernatural experience, there was no cataclysmic event or mind-blowing miracle. I just heard the voice of God. All it took was an openness and a willingness to listen. Do you hear the voice of the Lord? Do you know His voice? And the biggest question of all; Are you willing to answer?

Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is President/CEO of The JLR Company for Church Financial Strategy & Consulting; an associate minister at both Goodwill and The Greater Universal Baptist Churches in the Bronx; and creator & host of “Matters of Faith – The Radio Show” on Soul 1 Radio (internet), Mondays 8:00 – 10:00 PM. Listen on the internet at http://tobtr.com/s/7436671, or by phone at 626-226-1448.

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