THE GOD WHO COMMUNICATES

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Lord spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt.

Numbers 1:1

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, we begin a study of the Book of Numbers by looking at the very first verses, one simple in nature but rich in meaning for all believers – past, present, and future. Here it is again:

The Lord spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt.

Before I get into the message from this verse, some background on the book overall.

Numbers chronicles a period of over thirty-eight years when the Israelites traveled through the desert wilderness on their way to Canaan, the land the Lord had promised them. During this exodus, we see where God constantly speaks to Moses, the leader He hand-selected from His people. After that appointment, there are at least 150 times referenced in the scriptures where God speaks to Moses in some way.

In regard to God speaking to His people, we know it happened to more than just Moses. For if we go all the way back to the beginning of creation, we find Him talking with Adam and Eve. Ditto for Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob before Moses even came on the scene. And after Moses, we see where God continued to communicate with the Israelites, either directly or through messengers such as the prophets.

After the times of the Old and New Testament, the Lord has continued to have conversations with believers, words to further illuminate His holy Word in the scriptures through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In fact, He is speaking words for me to share with you this very moment and in regard to today’s message, there are three primary takeaways I would like to share.

First, God desires to have fellowship with His people.

I have often said that “communication is the lifeblood of relationship”. This is because someone won’t have much of a relationship with another unless they talk with them. Like a plant will wither and die without water, so too will any relationship where two people don’t stay in touch and speak with one another regularly.

The truth is that God yearns to have a very personal, intimate connection with each person He creates and He constantly seeks to communicate with us via the Holy Spirit. We just need to be ready and willing to talk with Him.

The second takeaway is that God will sometimes communicate with His people through others and we see it in the scriptures over and over again.

The Lord selects those who offer themselves up as His mouthpieces and then He uses them as willing vessels to convey His messages to His people. In the Bible, it was primarily through God-appointed leaders, prophets, priests, disciples, and apostles. Today, He speaks through pastors and ministers who partner with Him every week to write and deliver scripture-centered sermons that He inspires through the power of the Holy Spirit. As touched on previously, there are also Christian writers like myself who write messages daily to share the Gospel and help others come to a better knowledge of the Lord and His Word as it applies to their lives.

Maybe you have a special testimony as well regarding how God has used you to speak truth in His name to someone else. If you want, feel free to write a comment on this message and share your story with others.

The final takeaway for us is this:

God is ready right now to communicate with you and through you.

Maybe you feel like you’ve never heard the voice of the Lord speaking to you. Now that you’ve read this message and know how He desperately is ready to have a conversation, my prayer is that you will devote all of your hearts affection and mind attention to hear God what He has to say. Even if you have been negligent in communicating with Him prior, know and trust He is standing by and ready to receive you, eager to establish or reestablish your relationship with Him. Trust me when I say He will use you if you open yourself up to the opportunity.

Friends, in the end translation, we don’t serve a God who is impersonal and uncaring. Rather, we serve a God who loves and cares for us deeply and wants to be the center of our lives, the One we turn to at all times, whether good or bad, to have a simple conversation.

Have you spoken with Him yet today?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.