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Learning to Listen

Words of Faith Final

Learning to Listen

Words of Faith 1-6-2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

www.faithfellowshipweb.com

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Matthew 2

    [13] When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

    [14] So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, [15] where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

  

      Christmas is a story of amazing provision.  God provided marvelously for the Holy family.  God provided Joseph to be a legal stepfather for Jesus and a husband and protection for Mary.  God provided for the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in Judea.  God provided a place for the baby to be born humble as it was.  God provided a house in Bethlehem for the family to live in after Jesus was born.

       When Herod launched a murderous search of the child born to be king, God provided financially so they could make a journey of escape to Egypt.  God provided warning and guidance so that Joseph could take his family to safety.  God provided the guidance to stay put and wait for news of safety to return.  God is indeed good.  He does the same today if we will listen.  This is why spiritual leadership in the family is vital.

     We really have such a marvelous example of spiritual leadership in Joseph.  Leadership requires that we be available and that we listen.  There were a thousand chances to misstep in this story, but we see God's providence and care at every turn. 

     The remarkable thing is that Joseph did not once question or argue with the strange events that take place. The Bible is not afraid to reveal those who argued with God. Joseph was not one of them. Joseph likely had all of his family plans and dreams set aside or completely rewritten, yet those rewrites became great blessings. 

         Have you noticed that God works that way a lot of the time?  Maybe most of the time!  Abraham certainly had his life plan rewritten when he was called to leave his family and go to a land God would show him.  Sarah had her dreams rewritten no matter how hard she tried to do it her way.  Isaac had to reconsider his plans regarding the blessing of his sons.  Jacob wrestled with God over the plans for his life and limped for having done so.  Moses had the plan for his life rewritten so many times that it fills several books.  Yet none of these was ever heard to later say that they would have done it any other way.  They might well have sung a song called "I Did it God's Way."

         The truth is that the most marvelous moments of your life will be the unexpected ones that you in no way planned.  They may even be painful times, but they are the seasons in which we grow near to God.  

       We often wonder why it was that Bible people heard so clearly.  What we fail to ask is why we do not listen more carefully.  Joseph had to develop quite a sensitivity to the leading of the Lord. 

       How do you determine whether a dream is a leading from God or an upset stomach?  We learn by listening and responding.  It is unlikely that this was the first time Joseph had listened to the Lord.  It is far more likely that the Lord trusted him with smaller matters and later with larger ones.  He listened.  He grew.  He was prepared.  He was ready for the adventure.

       As we begin a new year, it is good to ask:  Am I listening for God?  Or am I just listening for confirmation on the ideas I have arrived at?  Am I listening in the small matters so that I can learn to hear in the larger ones?  Might this year ahead be a year of listening more carefully than ever and responding in obedience? Are you ready for the adventure?

 

          Lord, I want to learn to listen carefully to Your voice and instruction in my life.  Give me the grace to hear and the faith to respond.  I want to be a Godly leader.  Tune my ear and my heart to Your voice.  In Jesus' name.

 

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.