--> VBV Psalm 32:8-9
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God is Speaking. Are You Listening? (Ps 32 Part 4)
Psalm 32:8-9
8. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over
you.
9. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.
Prayer is not meant to always be a monologue, a one-sided conversation. It would be silly if we
ran into someone at the store and just talked straight for 5 minutes without letting them speak,
and then just walked away, “okay, bye.” Isn’t that what we do to the Lord sometimes? I’m smiling
because we all do this so often to the Lord! Prayer should often be a dialogue, a two way
conversation. To me, prayer is the most amazing aspect of our relationship to God. We have the
opportunity, 24 hours a day, to come boldly to His throne of grace and commune with the Living
God.
To all those that have called on the Lord and put their faith in Jesus Christ, God has promised to
instruct us and teach us, to counsel and watch over us. He promised this through David in our
text, but Jesus also spoke in detail about it. How does He comfort? How does He counsel us? I
submit that He will do it in three primary ways: through His word, through prayer and through our
brothers and sisters in Christ that He is using to speak to us. Jesus promised the disciples that
He would not leave them alone after His physical departure from the world.
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you
forever– the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor
knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17).
At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My
commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My
Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him (14:20-21).
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things,
and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you (14:26).
When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His
own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will
glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are
Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you (16:13-15).
When we pray, we should make sure to get into a nice quiet space, set aside enough time to
bring our worship, petitions and intercession to the Lord, but also make enough time to just wait
on the Lord. Wait? Yes, wait.
Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah (pause/wait/meditate on) (Psalm 4:4).
Have your Bible with you. The Lord may want to speak to you through His living and active word
(Heb. 4:12). If you wait on Him, He may also want to speak directly to your heart. You will just
know that God is speaking to you. And, you can compare what you think He is speaking to your
heart with the revealed word of God in the Bible. He will never contradict Himself, and the Bible is
the standard we use to judge whether something is of God or not. He will teach, He will comfort.
There won’t be condemnation (condemnation is from Satan). There is no condemnation to those
who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). There is loving direction, wisdom, insight and leading. Isn’t
that what the Lord says in our text? God instructs His children, teaches and counsels. The Holy
Spirit is called “the Counselor”. God does do these things! He is so good! We say we ask Jesus
“into our heart”. But Jesus Himself makes it much more explicit when He prays for all believers in
John 17.
“I do not pray for these (the apostles) alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through
their word (that’s you and me!); that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;
that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory
which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and
You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have
sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me (17:20-23).
Jesus prayed that He would be in us, that we would be one with Him as He is one with the Father.
God is speaking, but are we taking the time to listen? Listen for the Lord’s voice speaking to you
through His word, through your brothers and sisters in Christ, and directly to your heart as you
wait on Him. He is faithful and He is good, so good! The more you wait on God and hear from
Him, the easier it will become to discern His “voice”. Pray for discernment.
Notice that in our text David hears from God while he is praying and waiting (Selah) on the Lord.
The voice speaking to David is God’s. “I will instruct you and teach you and counsel you…” God
is telling David that He will instruct him- as He is instructing him! This is an example of a believer
in God waiting on Him (Selah at the end of verse seven) and hearing from Him (verse 8). Just to
clarify, I say God “speaks to our heart” because I do not think that we can hear the voice of God
audibly. There are cases in both the Old and New Testaments of God doing just that. But, if it
happens today, it is extremely rare. If God wants to speak to me audibly, I would have no problem
with that, and He certainly could if He wanted to. I’ve just never experienced it myself and
personally know of no one who has.
Let us not be stubborn like a mule or wild like a horse (verse nine) and not hear our Heavenly
Father speaking to us individually, personally.
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have
called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you (John 15:
15).
Jesus is the King of kings, but like King David was to Israel, Jesus is our friend and brother, as
well. Do not be like an animal that needs to be controlled by bit and bridle. This statement in
verse nine is set in direct opposition to the intelligent cooperation described in verse eight. Our
spirit should be yielded to His Spirit. Come to the Lord willingly. Let His Holy Spirit work in you. Do
not be forced into cooperation.
The greatest joy in being a Christian is spending time with Jesus. His peace He gives to us. His
joy is made complete in us. Sitting at the Master’s feet- listening (like Mary, Martha’s sister). Don’t
be afraid and don’t make excuses as to why you can’t or don’t have time to pray that long or that
way. Just humbly call upon the name of your Lord and Savior and ask Him to come and be with
you- and wait. It usually takes some time as our heart and mind quiets. Read some verses, be
waiting expectantly (in faith) and receive all that the Lord has for you, His lovely child, set apart
for Him in Jesus Christ.
Psalm 32:8-9
8. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over
you.
9. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.
Prayer is not meant to always be a monologue, a one-sided conversation. It would be silly if we
ran into someone at the store and just talked straight for 5 minutes without letting them speak,
and then just walked away, “okay, bye.” Isn’t that what we do to the Lord sometimes? I’m smiling
because we all do this so often to the Lord! Prayer should often be a dialogue, a two way
conversation. To me, prayer is the most amazing aspect of our relationship to God. We have the
opportunity, 24 hours a day, to come boldly to His throne of grace and commune with the Living
God.
To all those that have called on the Lord and put their faith in Jesus Christ, God has promised to
instruct us and teach us, to counsel and watch over us. He promised this through David in our
text, but Jesus also spoke in detail about it. How does He comfort? How does He counsel us? I
submit that He will do it in three primary ways: through His word, through prayer and through our
brothers and sisters in Christ that He is using to speak to us. Jesus promised the disciples that
He would not leave them alone after His physical departure from the world.
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you
forever– the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor
knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17).
At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My
commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My
Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him (14:20-21).
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things,
and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you (14:26).
When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His
own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will
glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are
Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you (16:13-15).
When we pray, we should make sure to get into a nice quiet space, set aside enough time to
bring our worship, petitions and intercession to the Lord, but also make enough time to just wait
on the Lord. Wait? Yes, wait.
Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah (pause/wait/meditate on) (Psalm 4:4).
Have your Bible with you. The Lord may want to speak to you through His living and active word
(Heb. 4:12). If you wait on Him, He may also want to speak directly to your heart. You will just
know that God is speaking to you. And, you can compare what you think He is speaking to your
heart with the revealed word of God in the Bible. He will never contradict Himself, and the Bible is
the standard we use to judge whether something is of God or not. He will teach, He will comfort.
There won’t be condemnation (condemnation is from Satan). There is no condemnation to those
who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). There is loving direction, wisdom, insight and leading. Isn’t
that what the Lord says in our text? God instructs His children, teaches and counsels. The Holy
Spirit is called “the Counselor”. God does do these things! He is so good! We say we ask Jesus
“into our heart”. But Jesus Himself makes it much more explicit when He prays for all believers in
John 17.
“I do not pray for these (the apostles) alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through
their word (that’s you and me!); that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;
that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory
which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and
You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have
sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me (17:20-23).
Jesus prayed that He would be in us, that we would be one with Him as He is one with the Father.
God is speaking, but are we taking the time to listen? Listen for the Lord’s voice speaking to you
through His word, through your brothers and sisters in Christ, and directly to your heart as you
wait on Him. He is faithful and He is good, so good! The more you wait on God and hear from
Him, the easier it will become to discern His “voice”. Pray for discernment.
Notice that in our text David hears from God while he is praying and waiting (Selah) on the Lord.
The voice speaking to David is God’s. “I will instruct you and teach you and counsel you…” God
is telling David that He will instruct him- as He is instructing him! This is an example of a believer
in God waiting on Him (Selah at the end of verse seven) and hearing from Him (verse 8). Just to
clarify, I say God “speaks to our heart” because I do not think that we can hear the voice of God
audibly. There are cases in both the Old and New Testaments of God doing just that. But, if it
happens today, it is extremely rare. If God wants to speak to me audibly, I would have no problem
with that, and He certainly could if He wanted to. I’ve just never experienced it myself and
personally know of no one who has.
Let us not be stubborn like a mule or wild like a horse (verse nine) and not hear our Heavenly
Father speaking to us individually, personally.
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have
called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you (John 15:
15).
Jesus is the King of kings, but like King David was to Israel, Jesus is our friend and brother, as
well. Do not be like an animal that needs to be controlled by bit and bridle. This statement in
verse nine is set in direct opposition to the intelligent cooperation described in verse eight. Our
spirit should be yielded to His Spirit. Come to the Lord willingly. Let His Holy Spirit work in you. Do
not be forced into cooperation.
The greatest joy in being a Christian is spending time with Jesus. His peace He gives to us. His
joy is made complete in us. Sitting at the Master’s feet- listening (like Mary, Martha’s sister). Don’t
be afraid and don’t make excuses as to why you can’t or don’t have time to pray that long or that
way. Just humbly call upon the name of your Lord and Savior and ask Him to come and be with
you- and wait. It usually takes some time as our heart and mind quiets. Read some verses, be
waiting expectantly (in faith) and receive all that the Lord has for you, His lovely child, set apart
for Him in Jesus Christ.
| ...He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). |
