“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3, ESV)
On June 25th, 1876, a number of women were gathered together in the quarters of an officer’s wife at a fort in the American West. They gathered to pray, as they usually would do. They would share stories, look out for one another, share news of their husbands out on maneuvers or traveling unsafe areas of the western United States. That day, as the women gathered for prayer, a few felt unusually apprehensive. While quietly praying, one woman began to sing the hymn, “Nearer My God to Thee”. The other women joined in, most with tears. The women thought it very unusual to break into a song, especially a song that speaks of impending danger or death. Little did they know that at the very moment the women began to sing, their loved ones were dying on the bluffs above the Little Big Horn River in Montana. News reached them later in the day that the force of men sent to scout the area were wiped out by an Indian war party.
How could the women have known that their husbands were in peril? How could the wives have felt fear when their husbands had no indication of imminent danger when leaving for duty? Sometimes, God will tell you things that you have no other way of perceiving. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit will speak to your mind and heart of things only God knows. In critical moments, God may warn you of impending danger or prepare you for what is to come. Scientists can’t understand how this phenomenon works. But those who know God have felt the tug of the Holy Spirit or the spiritual word of warning given to the heart. They have felt the guiding hand of God leading them toward destiny or onward to safety.
Listen to this story from a man who almost died because he did not heed that little voice that was sent from God….
“As usual, Jap Khalsa assembled and checked his equipment as he prepared to wash windows in the high-rise Imperial Bank building. Even though the rope he had was not the one he ordinarily used, he checked it carefully and decided to use it. Over the side he went in his bosun’s chair, fluidly working his way from window to window.
Ninety minutes later, at the twenty-first floor, the rope snagged and refused to slip through the mechanism moving the chair. Unable to move, Khalsa banged on a window for help. When firemen arrived, a veteran of cliff rescues volunteered to be lowered to Khalsa, careful not to make the slight mistake that could drop both to the pavement. After several hours the grateful workman climbed over the rail to safety. “I should have listened to my instinct about that rope,” he later said. By refusing to obey the “little voice,” he had hazarded his life.
The twenty million laws legislators have written can’t enforce even one of the Ten Commandments. But one conscience—one inner voice—forgiven, redeemed, and enlightened by God’s Spirit, will keep a person from breaking any.” (Virgil A. Hurley, Speaker’s Sourcebook, p. 115).
Scientists can’t explain it. Atheists deny it exists. Doubters fail to see this as a reality. But the faithful know that God speaks to you. As the verse for today from Jeremiah 33 confirms, God “tells us great and hidden things that you have not known”. God tells you things you need to know at the most crucial of moments, things others cannot see nor perceive. God shares these things with you to help you, direct you, protect you, or enable you to prepare for upcoming trials or temptations or obstacles. When you feel that “still small voice of God” speaking, don’t’ ignore it. Jeremiah 33:3 even urges you to “call to God and HE will answer you”. Seek God’s direction. Don’t turn a blind eye to God’s warning.
Golda Meir helped found the nation of Israel and was its Prime Minister from 1969 to 1974. During her tenure, she saw the danger of antisemitism that caused the Arab states around Israel to declare war against her country twice in only thirty years. She was aware of the dangers. Her generals updated her frequently of ways to defend the country. Her politicians were constantly finding ways to initiate peace with warring neighbors.
In 1973, Golda Meir was informed that Russian families connected to the Russian embassy were being sent home. When she heard this news, her heart and soul told her something big was in the works. She approached the generals and politicians of Israel wondering if another war was imminent. The previous war had ended less then 6 years before. Her fellow leaders told her not to worry as there were no signs of war. When Golda Meir prayed, she felt differently. It was as if God HIMSELF was cautioning her. She could hardly sleep. She couldn’t eat. She listened to her fellow leaders. However, surrounding Arab states made a surprise series of attacks in 1973. War broke out so quickly that Israel almost lost, being ill-prepared. Israel’s air force was decimated in the opening hours while it struggled to overcome the onslaught. Golda Meir wrote days later that she should have listened to her heart and mobilized the army. She saw it as one of the greatest regrets of her life. “Nothing anyone could say afterward in consolation would comfort her.” (Speaker’s Sourcebook, p. 117)
Often in my ministry I have encountered people who knew that God was speaking to them, warning them, helping them, directing their steps. Let me share a few of their stories.
A husband from our congregation told his wife he was remodeling the house and updating the roof. His wife was thrilled at the upgrades. Secretly, he told me that the reason for his actions were kept from his wife. He had been having dreams of his impending death. He was not sick. He was in great health, but he felt these dreams were a sign from God that his time was short. During the months after these dreams, he attended worship more frequently and made every attempt to right some wrongs. He spent many nights at home sharing precious moments with the family. He took his wife out weekly on dates. Then, six months after the dreams ended, he found out he had a virulent form of cancer. He died two months later.
I am also reminded of the man who went to worship one Sunday only to feel something was wrong. He prayed about it for days, only to feel something was amiss in his life. He had never experienced such a dread before. Being the one in the household who did the budget and watched over their expenses, he began to put more and more of their money into savings. The family complained when nights at the movies became less frequent, vacation outings were cut back, and the buying of Christmas presents was greatly curtailed. A year after these feelings began, the man lost his job during budget cutbacks. Because of the measures he had taken, the family had more than enough money to ease their burden. He even had another job in the works. To this day, the man believes it was God’s warning that made everything fall into place. The family didn’t suffer whatsoever.
More than a decade before a famine imperiled Jacob’s family, God made sure that Joseph (Jacob’s son) found his way into Egypt (Genesis 41). Seven years before that famine, Joseph convinced Egypt to store grain for that fateful time. When the famine finally hit, Egypt not only had more than enough to outlast seven years of famine, it had plenty to share with Jacob to ensure his family’s survival. Joseph made sure of it. God made sure Joseph had been placed at the right place at the right time for everything to flow perfectly.
Don’t ignore God’s warnings, the Spirit’s urgings, nor that still small voice in the back of your mind. Out of love and protection, God will speak to your conscience and inspire your thoughts. You only have to listen to the Spirit’s leading, trust God’s voice, and obey God’s Word. Have you ever noticed the Holy Spirit guiding you, warning you, or directing your steps?
How could the women have known that their husbands were in peril? How could the wives have felt fear when their husbands had no indication of imminent danger when leaving for duty? Sometimes, God will tell you things that you have no other way of perceiving. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit will speak to your mind and heart of things only God knows. In critical moments, God may warn you of impending danger or prepare you for what is to come. Scientists can’t understand how this phenomenon works. But those who know God have felt the tug of the Holy Spirit or the spiritual word of warning given to the heart. They have felt the guiding hand of God leading them toward destiny or onward to safety.
Listen to this story from a man who almost died because he did not heed that little voice that was sent from God….
“As usual, Jap Khalsa assembled and checked his equipment as he prepared to wash windows in the high-rise Imperial Bank building. Even though the rope he had was not the one he ordinarily used, he checked it carefully and decided to use it. Over the side he went in his bosun’s chair, fluidly working his way from window to window.
Ninety minutes later, at the twenty-first floor, the rope snagged and refused to slip through the mechanism moving the chair. Unable to move, Khalsa banged on a window for help. When firemen arrived, a veteran of cliff rescues volunteered to be lowered to Khalsa, careful not to make the slight mistake that could drop both to the pavement. After several hours the grateful workman climbed over the rail to safety. “I should have listened to my instinct about that rope,” he later said. By refusing to obey the “little voice,” he had hazarded his life.
The twenty million laws legislators have written can’t enforce even one of the Ten Commandments. But one conscience—one inner voice—forgiven, redeemed, and enlightened by God’s Spirit, will keep a person from breaking any.” (Virgil A. Hurley, Speaker’s Sourcebook, p. 115).
Scientists can’t explain it. Atheists deny it exists. Doubters fail to see this as a reality. But the faithful know that God speaks to you. As the verse for today from Jeremiah 33 confirms, God “tells us great and hidden things that you have not known”. God tells you things you need to know at the most crucial of moments, things others cannot see nor perceive. God shares these things with you to help you, direct you, protect you, or enable you to prepare for upcoming trials or temptations or obstacles. When you feel that “still small voice of God” speaking, don’t’ ignore it. Jeremiah 33:3 even urges you to “call to God and HE will answer you”. Seek God’s direction. Don’t turn a blind eye to God’s warning.
Golda Meir helped found the nation of Israel and was its Prime Minister from 1969 to 1974. During her tenure, she saw the danger of antisemitism that caused the Arab states around Israel to declare war against her country twice in only thirty years. She was aware of the dangers. Her generals updated her frequently of ways to defend the country. Her politicians were constantly finding ways to initiate peace with warring neighbors.
In 1973, Golda Meir was informed that Russian families connected to the Russian embassy were being sent home. When she heard this news, her heart and soul told her something big was in the works. She approached the generals and politicians of Israel wondering if another war was imminent. The previous war had ended less then 6 years before. Her fellow leaders told her not to worry as there were no signs of war. When Golda Meir prayed, she felt differently. It was as if God HIMSELF was cautioning her. She could hardly sleep. She couldn’t eat. She listened to her fellow leaders. However, surrounding Arab states made a surprise series of attacks in 1973. War broke out so quickly that Israel almost lost, being ill-prepared. Israel’s air force was decimated in the opening hours while it struggled to overcome the onslaught. Golda Meir wrote days later that she should have listened to her heart and mobilized the army. She saw it as one of the greatest regrets of her life. “Nothing anyone could say afterward in consolation would comfort her.” (Speaker’s Sourcebook, p. 117)
Often in my ministry I have encountered people who knew that God was speaking to them, warning them, helping them, directing their steps. Let me share a few of their stories.
A husband from our congregation told his wife he was remodeling the house and updating the roof. His wife was thrilled at the upgrades. Secretly, he told me that the reason for his actions were kept from his wife. He had been having dreams of his impending death. He was not sick. He was in great health, but he felt these dreams were a sign from God that his time was short. During the months after these dreams, he attended worship more frequently and made every attempt to right some wrongs. He spent many nights at home sharing precious moments with the family. He took his wife out weekly on dates. Then, six months after the dreams ended, he found out he had a virulent form of cancer. He died two months later.
I am also reminded of the man who went to worship one Sunday only to feel something was wrong. He prayed about it for days, only to feel something was amiss in his life. He had never experienced such a dread before. Being the one in the household who did the budget and watched over their expenses, he began to put more and more of their money into savings. The family complained when nights at the movies became less frequent, vacation outings were cut back, and the buying of Christmas presents was greatly curtailed. A year after these feelings began, the man lost his job during budget cutbacks. Because of the measures he had taken, the family had more than enough money to ease their burden. He even had another job in the works. To this day, the man believes it was God’s warning that made everything fall into place. The family didn’t suffer whatsoever.
More than a decade before a famine imperiled Jacob’s family, God made sure that Joseph (Jacob’s son) found his way into Egypt (Genesis 41). Seven years before that famine, Joseph convinced Egypt to store grain for that fateful time. When the famine finally hit, Egypt not only had more than enough to outlast seven years of famine, it had plenty to share with Jacob to ensure his family’s survival. Joseph made sure of it. God made sure Joseph had been placed at the right place at the right time for everything to flow perfectly.
Don’t ignore God’s warnings, the Spirit’s urgings, nor that still small voice in the back of your mind. Out of love and protection, God will speak to your conscience and inspire your thoughts. You only have to listen to the Spirit’s leading, trust God’s voice, and obey God’s Word. Have you ever noticed the Holy Spirit guiding you, warning you, or directing your steps?