Communicators

And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him,                           for they know his voice. John 10:4 (NKJV)

 

There are five grandchildren living in our house (an intergenerational household). The first talked early and a lot. She tried every new word she learned. Before she was three I went to help her get out of her car seat. She was already unbuckled saying, “You assumed you would need to help me.” Obviously proud of her new word.

The eight year old is the silent type who can get us do things like pass the potatoes by looking at the potatoes and then at his plate. Most of us never miss a beat of our conversation, we just pass him what he wants.

The four year old girl has many words and verbally communicates with enthusiasm. She has words and she knows how to use them!

Then, there’s the two year old boy. Though he has few words; Daddy, Mommy, “P”, and “No” (spoken emphatically as he shakes his hands to bolster the word) are the top four. His Mom understands a lot more. However, few words do not stop him from communicating. If we fail to understand what he wants he will take the hand of the person he thinks should serve him in the moment and clearly take or point you to what he wants.

We get it every time!

Observing all this has taken me back to one of my first understandings of the Lord. Early on He showed me what a great Communicator He is. Someone (in a sermon) “accused” me of being a sinner. I asked God (or maybe challenged Him) to show me if that was true. He did it in such a way that I could not deny that God Himself had answered that prayer.

When He wanted me to take on a new work, He clearly communicated to me that the obstacles I was facing were not from Him. As I was studying His Word He showed me verses that directly refuted what someone had said to me.

Once, when I had been hard on someone about a marriage issue, He showed me that she was already oppressed. In Psalm 103:8 The Psalmist says, “The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.” She needed justice and I was asking her to accept injustice in her situation. God communicated to me that I needed to apologize. I did.

Our God is The One True God. He can communicate with us any way He chooses.

What strikes me is that when we know Him, when we study His Word, He uses our knowledge to be clear with us. When someone tries to lead us astray or suggest that we are not in God’s will, if we know Him and His Word, we know what to agree with or question…because God has already communicated that to us.

When 2 year-old Jack points to the milk, because I know Him, I know not to give him cow’s milk and he trusts me to give him the right stuff. When we know God and His Word, we are able to discern what He wants. We never have to worry about harming Him, but neither do we want to err as the Sadducees did because they did not know the scriptures nor the power of God (Matthew 22:29).

Do we know God well enough to trust Him to communicate with us and to give Him what He asks for?