“Jesus wants us to come to Him with expectancy that He wants to guide us into deeper communion with Him.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 22, 2024
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Jeremiah 33:3
In the devotional Morning by Morning, Charles Spurgeon writes:
“Not all developments of the spiritual life are easy to attain. . . there is an upper realm of communication that goes beyond where most believers are.”
Intellect cannot take us to a deeper level of communion with God. Human knowledge cannot take us to the deeper things of God. If we go to God to “check off” prayer and we simply approach Bible reading to get information but do not seek His face and we don’t approach Him from the heart, we will not experience intimacy with Him. We will not reach the “upper level” of communication that Spurgeon talks about. We must be honest about what is going on in the depth of our hearts.
Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” This scripture doesn’t say, “You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all of your mind.”
We need to spend time with Christ, not just to get information or head knowledge, not just to check off our quiet time, but to seek Christ’s face and to experience authentic communion with Him.
For me, this begins with Bible reading and journaling. I read. I journal. I journal. I read. Perhaps something jumps off the page of Scripture for me. Or perhaps I journal and pray about some movement that is going on in my heart: a burden, a hurt, a joy, a gratitude—and then I listen. He is always ready to speak and He cares about what concerns us. I write down what I hear through an impression, a still small voice, a picture or some other way that God speaks. Even if I am not sure if it’s the Lord, I write it down. If it does not disagree with Scripture, and it sounds like Him, I embrace it.
John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Of this passage GotQuestions.org says:
“[John 10:27] expresses personal intimacy between the shepherd and his sheep. In the first century, a single sheep pen held multiple flocks, so it was essential for the sheep to know and recognize their own shepherd’s voice. There had to be an unmistakable familiarity between sheep and shepherd for the sheep to feel safe and know which voice to follow. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14). Knowing the Lord’s voice indicates experiential knowledge through a relationship with Him.”
Jesus wants us to come to Him with expectancy that He wants to guide us into deeper communion with Him. He wants us to experientially know that there is not one word we utter, one thought we think that He does not hear. He wants us to know we will seek Him and find Him when we seek Him with all our hearts.
“Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).
Prayer
Jesus, I want to know you, not just about you. Help me to wait in expectancy. Help me to believe that you are listening to every word that I speak and that you care about the movements of my heart. Lead me into full healing and full intimacy with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Application
Listen for the Lord’s voice during your time with Him today.
Related Reading
Psalm 119:2; Deuteronomy 4:29-31; Romans 6:17
Worship Resource
TobyMac, Jon Reddick: Nothin’ Sweeter
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