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NASB | Ecclesiastes 7:17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ecclesiastes 7:17 Do not be excessively or willfully wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? |
Bible Question:
Angel, Most of my days are rushed and filled with multiple tasks going on at one time. I've been at this pace for so long I find it hard to "be quiet" so that I can hear God's soft and tender voice. Any suggestions on how to hear God's voice over the very loud and overwhelming world? |
Bible Answer: Revelation or "Inspiration"? ____________________ "God’s clear, specific, revelatory intervention[s] ... are rare (even in the Bible), are not part of the believer’s birthright, and are not a result of a skill needed to be learned." ____________________ Joy101: You write: 'I find it hard to "be quiet" so that I can hear God's soft and tender voice. Any suggestions on how to hear God's voice over the very loud and overwhelming world?' Good question. In reply I quote, in part, the following letter from Gregory Koukl, Stand to Reason (http://www.str.org/free/town_square/revelati.htm). It is written in reply to a letter addressing the issue 'Revelation or "Inspiration"?' Greg writes: 'I still remain dubious about "impressions" being from the Lord in the way that most people speak of them. Everything depends on what is meant by "being from the Lord." Yes, God could be IN them in the sense discussed above, but as a revelation that amounts to some sort of directive, I know of no place in the Scripture where God attempted to communicate a message and His message wasn’t clear, and no place where we see God talking and there’s any indication that this is an inner feeling or nudge (for example, the text explicitly says that God’s conversations with Moses were audible, and it seems that way with the other prophets). This to me is compelling, and one of the reasons I think we don’t need to quiet ourselves in order to "hear from God." I wholeheartedly agree, however, that quieting ourselves for other reasons–to meditate on the word, focus, or just slow down and reflect–is very helpful, important, and biblical.' He also writes: 'First, I’ve never held that God cannot give direct revelation to someone. The "Decision-Making" material states this explicitly, but it’s often missed. I’ve heard some remarkable stories of God’s clear, specific, revelatory intervention, just as we find on occasion in the Bible. My point is that these are rare (even in the Bible), are not part of the believer’s birthright, and are not a result of a skill needed to be learned. Further, when we do make such a claim, it is similar to the claim of a prophet. So I do think these things are possible. However, there is no discipline of "learning to hear the voice of God" taught in the Scripture and as a rule, the Bible, properly interpreted, is capable of giving all the information necessary to make the Christian "adequate for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 'Second, I’m also thoroughly convinced that God is a very present help in time of trouble, confusion, and distress, not merely as a source of comfort, but also as a source of insight, creativity, or sudden awareness to answers to hard questions or difficult problems. I've often prayed when stymied by a computer malfunction, or even two weeks ago when my wife Steese lost her keys (and found them soon after my prayer). I'm convinced that God was involved in all of that. J.P. Moreland even talks about how God helped him to fix his plumbing in response to a prayer! And of course there are countless times I’ve relied on the help of the Holy Spirit when trying to find clear, memorable ways of communicating difficult concepts in a teaching. My prayer even now is that God will enable me to respond well to your thoughts. Sometimes God responds to such prayers subtly, and sometimes quite dramatically, as in your play. Clearly, God’s Spirit is at work at times like this. 'These are two very different kinds of things though, revelation on the one hand and on the other hand receiving creative "inspiration," gaining helpful insight into unraveling a problem, or experiencing the outworking of a spiritual gift. Special revelation is extremely rare and carries with it a very unique authority. By contrast, creative inspiration or insight is quite common, especially for the Christian actively depending on God and leaning on Him for help (Proverbs 3:5-6). 'Since I think God is directly involved in both, but through an entirely different means, I think it best that different language be used to describe each. There's a difference between saying "God gave me this song," and "My gift or my inspiration or my ability come from the Lord." If God really gave the song, presumably the words are His and not ours, and we are not free to change them through editing or rewrites, partly because they’re God’s words and not ours, and partly because the concept of improving God's song is a contradiction in terms. (Also, as some have pointed out, when someone claims "God gave me this song" one rightfully expects better music than the song often delivers.)' ____________________ To read more go to: (www.str.org/free/town_square/revelati.htm) Grace to you, Kalos |