Are Listening for God's Voice?

READ PSALM 85

Psalm 85:8(ESV)

⁸ Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

When was the last time you stopped and listened for the voice of the Lord?

I'm not talking about prayer here, that's you speaking. I'm talking about what happens after you have said what you need to say. Do you spend any time in quiet reflection so you listen for the voice of the Lord?

If you find yourself saying things like, "I've prayed and prayed, but God never answers." Well, maybe that's your sign to start listening.

But don't listen and hope God will answer, follow the guidance of Psalm 85 and listen with confident expectation that God will be speaking soon! This Psalm of gratitude was likely written after the Jews returned from Babylonian exile. The Old Testament book of Nehemiah describes the return. The people have returned to a Jerusalem that sits in ruins. The broken down (once great) city is a shell of what it used to be.

The entirety of the Psalm begins by lamenting over the greatness that used to be in the land, and how the sins of the people brought about its destruction.

Psalm 85:4 (ESV)

⁴ Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!

Psalm 85:7 (ESV)

⁷ Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.

These requests are not offered up in unbelief. This is not wishful thinking or blind hope. Verses 8 and 9 reveal a people who have confidence that the Lord has not forgotten them and He is about to do a new thing in the land! The reason for their confident expectation is in their calling. Go and read verse 8 again (it's at the top).

"To His saints" are the words I want you to see.

When you belong to God and you give your heart to Jesus you are set apart. This Psalm was written to God's chosen people in the Old Testament, but for those of us living under the New Covenant of Jesus, our belief in Him makes us saints. I came across this verse in my Bible reading this morning.

John 3:16-18 (ESV)

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

We all know John 3:16 very well, but how much have you paid attention to the verses that follow? Verse 18 is the one that jumped off the page at me this morning.

"WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM IS NOT CONDEMNED!"

In Psalm 85 we see God's covenant people (the Jews) repenting of their past failues and asking God to hear their prayer and restore their land. They are essentially asking God for mercy. When you read the entire Psalm you see that their prayer is sincere and full of genuine faith and thankfulness. They know the Lord is hearing their prayer so they listen to hear how He will respond. Now put that same confident expectation into your prayer life. When you pray in the Name of Jesus are you simply throwing out words into the ether? Absolutely not! Those words are being heard by Jesus.

1 John 5:14-15 (ESV)

¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

My friend, it's time to set and listen. Make no mistake, a truly repentant, thankful, and loving heart that believes in Jesus is not condemned and it does not go unheard. So listen with confident expectation as Jesus hears your prayer and is sure to speak. And when He does speak Psalm 85 tells us, "He will speak peace to His people, and His saints."

That's a great blessing that calms my heart. I pray it does the same for you.

Josh Huisman is the senior pastor of Crosswalk Church in Brentwood, TN. If you would like to support this website and make it possible for this page to stay active and these devotions to reach a wider audience, CLICK HERE

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