The Voice!

Today’s Reading: Matthew 17:1-13

As I read through this chapter I began to realize something today. The disciples were on a journey as well and at this moment Peter, James, and John moved to another level. Along this journey they had been growing spiritually and learning more about who Jesus was and what their purpose was through him. He had been leading and guiding them through this process and now God had revealed himself to them in such a powerful and moving way. Is this not like our journey? The closer we grow to God, the more we follow Jesus, the more he will reveal himself to us. I have to say sometimes I am like Peter, in the middle of a God experience I get in a hurry trying to put everything together myself and I don’t simply just enjoy the presence of our Lord. I really believe that sometimes he wants us to do nothing but enjoy being in his presence, besides he cannot reveal himself or speak a word to us when we are trying to lead the way.

When the voice of God spoke he said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Notice the last part---’Listen to him!’ Anything God says is important, but when he tells us to listen to Jesus, he is saying I have sent you a way, a guide, just listen to what he tells you, follow him and he will never lead you astray! Sometimes I feel like I know the right way, I know what Jesus would do, but I stop listening, I get too busy and too caught up in the things around me and don’t also stand still and listen to the words of Jesus. I hear the words, I read the words, but I don’t always absorb them into all that I do. I so want to do what I am called to do, but many times I take my eyes off Jesus and when I do my flesh jumps right in their to lead the way. I do not want to be like the ‘teachers of the law’ I want to be more than a person who just knows the words in the Bible, I want to live the words of the Bible, I want the Word of God to live and grow within the depths of my soul. There were so many prophecies in the old testament that validated who Jesus was, prophecies that these teachers knew well, yet they missed the presence of Jesus, they missed the Messiah that they had been waiting for. Even with John the Baptist being the forerunner of Christ and announcing his coming, they missed it. I don’t want to miss it---I don’t want to miss the voice of my Savior calling out to me.