Listen, and Live!

Luke 5:25-29 (New Living Translation)
25 “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. 26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. 27 And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.[a] 28 Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, 29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.

When can the failure to listen result in death? When the one speaking is the Spirit of God! It would then appear that one should simply listen to God. If only it were that easy. Listening to God possesses a certain degree of difficulty, yes, even for the Christian believer. Oft times to get to “God’s voice” we must walk through the maze of many “other voices”: the “well-intentioned” voices of family and friends, the over-hyped voices of the media, even the voice of our own will and desire, all voices that can quickly lead us away from the Voice of Life.
The Gospel of John informs us that “the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.” Listening to God’s voice may place you in direct opposition to those you love. Listen anyway! Listening to God’s voice may place you in direct opposition to those in leadership over you. Listen anyway! Listening to God’s voice may even cause you to experience seasons of separation and isolation. Listen anyway!
As difficult as it may be sometimes, listening to the voice of God is to allow the power of God – the life-giving power of God – to work in your life! And with the power of God at work in your life, you can arise from and out of any situation of death and defeat.
To listen to the voice of God is to receive life. What is the voice of God speaking to you this Lenten season?
Michael W. Waters
Dallas, Texas
www.joytabernacleame.org