LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Wednesday 30th June 2021
HIS VOICE IN OUR CHOICE
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 30:1-23
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left. (Isaiah 30:21)
The Holy Spirit is our guide. He is interested in showing us the way. This verse highlights three factors that are needed for us to hear God’s voice. The first is God’s word. The second is our ears, and the third is the way.
1. God’s Word. The passage refers to ‘a word behind you’. That phrase comes from the relationship between a shepherd and his flock. The shepherd instructs his sheep from behind. Similarly, God’s voice is close to us. He speaks to us through His written word and the Holy Spirit.
To hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, we must first know what the written word says to us. God’s voice is generally expressed in the principles He has set out in the Bible. In the scriptures, He shows us His intentions for us, as well as His expectations from us. Whatever the Holy Spirit says to us, follows in the principles of what the scriptures have told us.
2. Our Ears. For the sheep to hear the voice of the shepherd, they must train their ears to the sound of the shepherd. Similarly, we must teach our spiritual ears to listen to the voice of the Lord. We must know when He speaks to us through the scriptures. We must know when the Lord is warning us to stay away from something and when He is directing us to go towards something.
As we wait on the Lord in prayer and fasting, we are training our spiritual ears to discern the voice of the Lord.
3. God’s Way. The passage tells us that the voice we hear will say to us, ‘this is the way, walk in it’. That means that God has already made a way for us. He has a path that He wants us to walk in. The Lord’s instruction simply points us to the way He has made for us. He shows us what He has already prepared for us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, lead me in the way. Open my spiritual eyes to your word and my ears to your voice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
