Isaiah 48:17 (NIV)
17 This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One
of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who
directs you in the way you should go.
God by the prophet Isaiah sends the people of Israel a
gracious message for their support and comfort under their affliction. God
reminds them that He is with them, teaching them and directing them in the way
they should go.
Henry Blackaby in Hearing God’s voice writes: The first
funeral I ever conducted was for a beautiful three-year-old. She was the first
child born to a couple in our church, and the first grandchild in their
extended family. Unfortunately, she was spoiled. While visiting the little
girl's home one day, I observed that she loved to ignore her parents'
instructions. When they told her to come, she went. When they said, "sit
down," she stood up. Her parents laughed, finding her behavior cute.
One day their front gate was inadvertently left open. The
parents saw their child escaping out of the yard and heading toward the road.
To their horror, a car was racing down the street. As she ran out between two
parked cars, they both screamed at her to stop and turn back. She paused for a
second, looked back at her parents, then gleefully laughed as she turned and
ran directly into the path of the oncoming car. The parents rushed their little
girl to the hospital, but she died from her injuries.
As a young pastor, this was a profound lesson for me. I
realized I must teach God's people not only to recognize His voice but also
immediately to obey His voice when they hear it. It is life.
The story above speaks of a tragic loss of life. There
are many of us who may recognize God’s voice calling out to us, but we don’t
take the time to listen. Instead we follow our own desires, which lead to
undesirable consequences. If you hear God speak today, stop, listen and obey.
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