Silas
Beloved of All
Your hunger to hear from the Lord in every way He chooses to speak is a good and biblical desire, and your prayer to abide in Christ and to have His words abide in you is exactly where hearing begins. Jesus said that if we remain in Him and His words remain in us, we can ask according to His will, and His Word will be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Whatever we hear, whether through the preaching of the Word, through godly counsel, through the quiet leading of the Spirit, or through a dream or vision, must be tested by the Law and the Testimony. Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and it is His sure revelation of Himself, fulfilled finally in Jesus Christ, and it will not return empty but will accomplish what He intends.
It is true that God has spoken and still speaks in many ways. In the Scriptures He warned Abimelech in a dream to keep him from sin and death, He warned Joseph in a dream to protect the child Jesus, He guided the wise men in a dream, and He gave night visions to direct His servants. Job tells us that God does speak, now one way, now another, though people do not always perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night when deep sleep falls, He may speak to warn a person, to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, to preserve their life from the pit. The prophet Joel promised that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit and sons and daughters would prophesy, young men would see visions and old men would dream dreams. The Lord can and does use these means, and a heart that is open and attentive is needed to recognize His voice.
Often we expect a loud, echoing voice, but God frequently speaks in beautiful and natural ways that we can miss if we are not listening. His voice is powerful and full of majesty, and He directs it under the whole heaven, yet He also speaks gently as we walk with Him. To hear Him we must be willing to be still, to stay rooted in His Word, and to let His love work in our hearts, changing our attitudes and teaching us to love even when it feels impossible in ourselves.
I join you in praying for you, for your wife, for your children and extended family, and for those who minister alongside you, that the Lord would speak clearly and graciously to each of you and draw you all deeper into His will in Christ Jesus. For your wife especially, I pray that God would in His mercy give warning where warning is needed, turning her from any wrong path and keeping her from pride, preserving her from the pit, and bringing her to repentance and to a pure heart, sincere faith and a clear conscience. God's ideal for marriage from the beginning is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and His Word calls husband and wife to faithfulness within that covenant. Because of hardness of heart there was provision in the law for divorce, and the apostle teaches that if an unbelieving spouse chooses to leave, the believing one is not under bondage in such a case, but the heart of God is always toward restoration, forgiveness, and life. Where there has been unfaithfulness or wandering, the only true hope is turning back to the Lord who alone can save forever those who come to God through Jesus, because He lives to intercede for us.
Even in valleys where you cannot see far and the way feels bleak, God’s hand is still at work, protecting and keeping and watching over you. Looking back you will often see more clearly how He has sustained you. As you continue to seek Him, keep His Word before you daily, ask for His will to be done, and trust His promise that nothing is impossible with Him and no purpose of His can be thwarted. Light is stronger than darkness.
May the Lord keep you and your household from temptation, from deception, from evil and from the evil one, and may He guard you from lies and fear. As you bring your requests to Him with thanksgiving, may His peace which passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. May you grow in knowledge of His love and grace, walk in the Spirit, and see His Word bear fruit in your family for His glory.
It is true that God has spoken and still speaks in many ways. In the Scriptures He warned Abimelech in a dream to keep him from sin and death, He warned Joseph in a dream to protect the child Jesus, He guided the wise men in a dream, and He gave night visions to direct His servants. Job tells us that God does speak, now one way, now another, though people do not always perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night when deep sleep falls, He may speak to warn a person, to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, to preserve their life from the pit. The prophet Joel promised that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit and sons and daughters would prophesy, young men would see visions and old men would dream dreams. The Lord can and does use these means, and a heart that is open and attentive is needed to recognize His voice.
Often we expect a loud, echoing voice, but God frequently speaks in beautiful and natural ways that we can miss if we are not listening. His voice is powerful and full of majesty, and He directs it under the whole heaven, yet He also speaks gently as we walk with Him. To hear Him we must be willing to be still, to stay rooted in His Word, and to let His love work in our hearts, changing our attitudes and teaching us to love even when it feels impossible in ourselves.
I join you in praying for you, for your wife, for your children and extended family, and for those who minister alongside you, that the Lord would speak clearly and graciously to each of you and draw you all deeper into His will in Christ Jesus. For your wife especially, I pray that God would in His mercy give warning where warning is needed, turning her from any wrong path and keeping her from pride, preserving her from the pit, and bringing her to repentance and to a pure heart, sincere faith and a clear conscience. God's ideal for marriage from the beginning is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and His Word calls husband and wife to faithfulness within that covenant. Because of hardness of heart there was provision in the law for divorce, and the apostle teaches that if an unbelieving spouse chooses to leave, the believing one is not under bondage in such a case, but the heart of God is always toward restoration, forgiveness, and life. Where there has been unfaithfulness or wandering, the only true hope is turning back to the Lord who alone can save forever those who come to God through Jesus, because He lives to intercede for us.
Even in valleys where you cannot see far and the way feels bleak, God’s hand is still at work, protecting and keeping and watching over you. Looking back you will often see more clearly how He has sustained you. As you continue to seek Him, keep His Word before you daily, ask for His will to be done, and trust His promise that nothing is impossible with Him and no purpose of His can be thwarted. Light is stronger than darkness.
May the Lord keep you and your household from temptation, from deception, from evil and from the evil one, and may He guard you from lies and fear. As you bring your requests to Him with thanksgiving, may His peace which passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. May you grow in knowledge of His love and grace, walk in the Spirit, and see His Word bear fruit in your family for His glory.
