Day 21 – God Does The Speaking
As you begin to spend time with God, settle yourself somewhere quiet and comfortable. Take a few deep breaths. Spend a few moments gathering your thoughts, becoming aware of God’s presence with you and in you.
Journal for 5 minutes on yesterday’s reflection and practice. What did you think about and learn? What challenged you? Did God say anything to you throughout the day?
Then, begin today’s devotional.
Read: Numbers 22:21-38
When he got up in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the officials of Moab. But God was incensed that Balaam was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand on the path to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing on the path with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the path and went into the field. So Balaam hit her to return her to the path. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow passage between the vineyards, with a stone wall on either side. The donkey saw the angel of the Lord and pressed herself against the wall, squeezing Balaam’s foot against it. So he hit her once again. The angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she crouched down under Balaam. So he became furious and beat the donkey with his stick. Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?” Balaam answered the donkey, “You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you now!” But the donkey said, “Am I not the donkey you’ve ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?” “No,” he replied. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the path with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam knelt low and bowed in worship on his face. The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you, because I consider what you are doing to be evil. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and let her live." Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the path to confront me. And now, if it is evil in your sight, I will go back.” Then the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials. When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city on the Arnon border at the edge of his territory. Balak asked Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?” Balaam said to him, “Look, I have come to you, but can I say anything I want? I must speak only the message God puts in my mouth.”
John 15:1-16:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.
The 90’s were a great decade for kids’ movies. I was born in 1992 and still remember watching The Lion King when it came out. It’s easily one of the most iconic children’s movies of all time. The music alone is captivating—how can you beat music written by Elton John and composed by Hans Zimmer? To top it all off, the voice of Mufasa is the legendary James Earl Jones—you know, the voice of Darth Vader.
I remember watching The Lion King again in college and being deeply impacted in a new way by one scene in particular. You probably know the one I’m referring to: Simba has reached a pivotal moment in his life. He’s at a crossroads. He’s searching for healing from his past, meaning in his present, and a path forward into his future. At that crossroads, his father appears out of the heavens and begins to give courage, identity, and a challenge to Simba. Simba wanted to know how to confront his past and how to step out of the unhealthy, lethargic comfort of his present life. His father answered by saying reminding him of who he was—Mufasa’s son. I. WAS. SHOOK. The same words that I had heard many times before struck me differently this time. Why? Because that very same day, I had been asking my Father in heaven the same questions that Simba was asking his father in the heavens.
I’d heard those words so many times before. What changed? I think God showed me that He can speak to me in other places and through other ways than I had ever realized before. In that moment, God spoke. God spoke to me. God spoke to me through unconventional means. God spoke to me through a cartoon lion and the voice of Darth Vader. God wanted to speak, so He did. I was learning to listen, so I heard.
As we end our 21 days of learning how to hear God speak and as we continue to live the next 21+ years of listening, I want you to consider one thing. The goal of learning how to hear God is not just so God can talk and we can listen. Those are the means to the real goal: dialogue, conversation, and ultimately, relationship.
Can you imagine going up to a friend and just asking them to talk, but not answering them? What if someone came up to you and just asked you to talk without ever responding to you. Wouldn’t that be weird? A lot of times that’s how we approach our relationship with God, but God doesn’t speak just to talk. And inversely, we don’t listen to just say that we can hear.
God speaks and listens to us and we speak and listen to God, so that we can have relationship. That’s the whole point: relationship, intimacy, friendship. And how incredible it is that God would make us His friends. God speaks. We listen. We speak. God listens. That is friendship. What better way to spend a life than walking out each moment in friendship with God?
Prayer:
God, thanks for being a friend. You could have related with me in any way, yet you chose one of the most personable and relatable ways. Help me have a good friendship with you.
Journal:
Take a few moments to journal through the following question(s).
Think of some of your closest friends and consider some of these questions: What qualities make them a good friend? What are your favorite parts of your friendship? What activities do you like to do together? What do you talk about?
Consider the reality that God wants to be a close friend. When you think about friendship with God, what comes to mind? Does it seem infeasible that God would be your friend? Do you actually want to be friends with God? Why do you think God wants to be your friend?
What would it be like to spend the day talking to God the same way that you text or snap a friend throughout the day?
Today’s Practice:
Take a piece of paper or sticky note and write “God’s friend” on it. Put the paper in your pocket. Whenever you put your hand in your pocket today and feel that paper, pull it out, read it, and remember that you are God’s friend. Let that reality sink and in reframe your day. Take a moment to briefly “text” God about whatever is going on in that moment.
By Christian Dawson, Campus Pastor