Hearing God's Voice: Abide in Christ

Our "Hearing God’s Voice" series is adapted from "Sometimes He Whispers Sometimes He Roars" by Marilynn Chadwick. To request a copy of this book please go here. by Marilynn Chadwick I’m always watching for signs of God at work. Looking for insights from His Word. Watching closely for His "fingerprints." I often ask God to open my eyes so I may see Him more clearly. I am convinced that abiding in Christ’s Presence holds the answer to life’s problems. So why do I sometimes race around looking everywhere else for solutions? My commitment to abide in Christ has been made stronger by recent conversations with friends. Each confided they were overwhelmed by the same problem. Anxiety. They were consumed with worry about frightening events in the news. Admittedly, the world can be a scary place right now. Wars and rumors of wars abound. Random acts of violence hit close to home. Persecution of Christians is at an all-time high. Some say it’s the most dangerous time in history to believe in Jesus. It has always been dangerous to follow God. The Bible is full of examples of believers facing persecution. John the Baptist met a gruesome death at the hands of the evil ruler Herod. John had confronted Herod on his adulterous relationship with Herodias, his brother's wife. Herod wanted to kill John but feared the crowd. Look at what happened next: "But at Herod's birthday celebration, he got his chance. Herodias’s daughter provided the entertainment, dancing for the guests. She swept Herod away. In his drunken enthusiasm, he promised her on oath anything she wanted. Already coached by her mother, she was ready: “Give me, served up on a platter, the head of John the Baptizer.” That sobered the king up fast. Unwilling to lose face with his guests, he did it—ordered John’s head cut off and presented to the girl on a platter. She in turn gave it to her mother." (Matthew 14:6-12 MSG). Notice the reaction of Jesus to the death of His dearly loved cousin. The Bible tells us He went away by Himself to be alone with God. Though He was God Incarnate, Jesus was fully human. We must assume He needed time to process the tragedy, to pour out His heart, to be healed and strengthened by His heavenly Father. But while on the way, He is intercepted by a crowd of needy and hurting people. Moved with compassion, He heals their sick and even performs a miracle of feeding the 5000. I'm sure Jesus was exhilarated. But notice: He still needed time alone with God. As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night. (Matthew 14:22-23 MSG). Jesus withdrew to pray, to heal, to grieve, to seek renewed strength. To abide. If Jesus needed to be alone with His heavenly Father when walking through a valley, how much more do we?