14 day plan

The God Who Guides

Day 8 of 14

NIV

Isaiah 50:4-5

4The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,

to know the word that sustains the weary.

He wakens me morning by morning,

wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.

5The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;

I have not been rebellious,

I have not turned away.

Reflection:  Recognising the voice of the Shepherd (Part 2)

Imagine if we could experience Isaiah 50:4-5: “…He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away.”

You’ll notice that Isaiah learned to hear the voice of God, because God: “wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed”, and because he had: “opened my ears.” Your ears are first opened at the point of salvation, when you respond to God’s voice in the gospel and receive the Holy Spirit into your life. From that point in time, you are now fully equipped to hear God’s voice. But at the same time, your ear must be trained to recognise the voice of God.

It is said that a baby can recognise its mother’s voice while still in the womb. This is the result of continual repetition over the nine months of pregnancy. The child is literally bathed in the sound of its mother’s voice, so that when it is born, the mother’s voice is the first familiar sound it hears.

God wants you to be bathed in the sound of his voice, and there is only one way this can happen – by immersing yourself in the word of God. Recognition comes from familiarity, and familiarity comes from repetition. There are no shortcuts.

You only learn to do by doing. And in the same way, you learn to hear by hearing. It is in reading and studying God’s word that God’s voice becomes a familiar sound in your ears. For this reason, the Bible plays a central role in guidance in two ways:

  • God’s word trains your ear — as you read the Bible, you learn to recognise the tone of God’s voice and become familiar with God’s heart and will.
  • God’s word speaks to your ear — reading the Bible is much more than just a training exercise. It is actually an exercise in hearing God’s voice! As you prayerfully read his word, you will find that God will speak to your heart on issues that matter to him. As you obey the voice of God’s Spirit, speaking to you in the context of his word, you will soon discover how familiar and common the guiding voice of God truly is.

 Prayer:  Dear Lord, please awaken my ear to listen attentively, like a student being taught by the Holy Spirit. May your word train my ear, as I read the Bible, to discern the tone of your voice and grow intimately acquainted with your heart and will.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

Days

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Isaiah 50:1-11

Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience

1This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce

with which I sent her away?

Or to which of my creditors

did I sell you?

Because of your sins you were sold;

because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.

2When I came, why was there no one?

When I called, why was there no one to answer?

Was my arm too short to deliver you?

Do I lack the strength to rescue you?

By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea,

I turn rivers into a desert;

their fish rot for lack of water

and die of thirst.

3I clothe the heavens with darkness

and make sackcloth its covering.”

4The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,

to know the word that sustains the weary.

He wakens me morning by morning,

wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.

5The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;

I have not been rebellious,

I have not turned away.

6I offered my back to those who beat me,

my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;

I did not hide my face

from mocking and spitting.

7Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,

I will not be disgraced.

Therefore have I set my face like flint,

and I know I will not be put to shame.

8He who vindicates me is near.

Who then will bring charges against me?

Let us face each other!

Who is my accuser?

Let him confront me!

9It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.

Who will condemn me?

They will all wear out like a garment;

the moths will eat them up.

10Who among you fears the Lord

and obeys the word of his servant?

Let the one who walks in the dark,

who has no light,

trust in the name of the Lord

and rely on their God.

11But now, all you who light fires

and provide yourselves with flaming torches,

go, walk in the light of your fires

and of the torches you have set ablaze.

This is what you shall receive from my hand:

You will lie down in torment.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.