Listen to the Voice

 

[The following is a manuscript of my very short devotional delivered on Sunday, the 31st of July, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was our 5th Sunday service of music and singing.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

In the 4th chapter of his book of Deuteronomy, Moses is warning the children of Israel about a time in the near future when they will be sinning grievously against the Lord.  Because of their arrogance and disobedience, they will suffer God’s wrath.  And then they will turn back to Him, seeking forgiveness.

Please listen to what Moses says in verses 29 through 31, from the New American Standard Bible…

29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things happen to you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not abandon you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.

--Deuteronomy 4:29-31 (NASB)

As I look around the world today, and even here in our local community, I can’t help but feel that we are beginning to suffer the same fate as those Israelis Moses was trying to warn.  We have become arrogant, we humans.  We are very disobedient of God’s commands.  And I’m sure our sin grieves Him.  He did not send His Son to free us just so we could fall back into slavery to sin!

We need to return to the Lord, we here in these United States.  We can’t truly be that shining city on the hill, the beacon of hope to all the world, until we turn back to God.  To do so, we just need to seek Him again, search for Him with all our heart and all our soul.  We need to listen to His voice, and He will guide us through the storm and back to safety.  Just listen to His voice, and obey His word.

Let us pray…  Father God, speak to us now that we may hear Your still, small voice.  Speak to us and guide us in the path we must walk.  Father, we are here to worship You.  May the words and songs from our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.