Priscilla Shirer: "Discerning the Voice of God" Session 5

What a journey we have taken in this study with Priscilla Shirer.  She's talked about our stance of obedience, that the Holy Spirit is the primary way we hear from God, the Holy Spirit guides us progressively, personally and internally, and that discerning the voice of God connects strongly to God's character. 

In Session 5, Priscilla talks about "Revealing of His Plans."  

This is the statement Priscilla made:  "Our God showers us with grace and mercy, kissing us so to speak, but we're totally unaware of it."  She had just related a story about her boys and ended with this statement.

It's hard to hear His voice when life is tough or we're in a season of dryness.  She said that when we're in these times, we have to remember:

• He is for you
• He is with you
• His handiwork still surrounds you
• He intends to do you good

In Exodus 3:1-2, there is an encouragement for us in these scriptures.

Moses was in a dry place - the middle of the desert tending sheep for 40 years.  It was in this dry place, that the "smoke signal of God's glory", as Priscilla puts it, shows up.

This is what you need to know in your dry place:

Principle #1 - God manifests His presence in the desert.

Bushes don't burn in palaces.  They burn in deserts.  

The best place for His voice to be clearly heard is not when we're in the place where life is going great (the palace), but while in the dry wilderness season of your life (the desert).

She instructed us not to be discouraged there but to "look to see traces of His glory all around you."

What can happen in this place?

• our hearts are more tender
• we're expecting to see glimpses of God's glory
• expecting God is going to move

C.S. Lewis said this:

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain."

God is weaving together a masterpiece for your life when you think He is doing nothing - nothing is happening, nothing is changing.

"Your life is a masterpiece God is writing", Priscilla said.

Do you think God has forgotten you?

Hebrews 13:5b says this: "I will never leave you nor will I forsake you."

We looked at several passages of scripture relating stories of difficulties and seeing God's hand in it all:

• Luke 24:13-35 - Road to Emmaus
• Isaiah 6:1 - King Uzziah's death
• Daniel 3 - The fiery furnace
• Habakkuk 2:3 - Habakkuk lamenting the state of the nation
• Genesis 37-47 - Joseph's story
• Book of Esther - Esther's story
• Book of Ruth - Ruth's story
• Luke 22-24 - Jesus' story

We learned that the beauty of these stories and our God is that "difficulty turns into triump."

The key to seeing God's plan while in the desert is to take your attention off of the circumstances and place them on God's presence in the circumstances.  See Exodus 3:3 "I must turn aside and look."

Moses looked at the supernatural act happening in front of him.

We should not magnify the problem, but magnify our God - worship Him.  We must be intentional about doing this in our season of dryness.

A book Priscilla mentioned that might help us fix our attention on Jesus is a written-down book of prayers.  These prayers, she said, can be a launching pad for conversations with God when we feel too dry to even pray.  ("A Diary of Private Prayer" by John Baillie).

She also mentioned that in Exodus 3:1 "Moses was in the wilderness performing the duty he was instructed to perform."  We were asked to highlight:

• pasturing
• leading
• mountain of God

He wasn't disengaged.

Sometimes the reason why we don't hear God's voice in our season of dryness is we have totally disengaged from what He has given us to do.  Our attitudes and actions are not fully invested in what He has put in front of us to do.

Principle #2 - God equips you for His purposes in the desert.

Moses is called to attend another type of flock - the Israelities. 

Maybe you're feeling stuck or feel as if you're not gaining any ground.  Maybe you're wondering why you're in this season.  Remember this:

He's giving you the character , the substance, the fortification, the foundational work that will be necessary for Him to accomplish His work through you.

God is doing a foundational work in us during this season that we cannot see.  "It will be exactly what you'll need for the next season of your life."

Moses was not just leading the Israelities but leading them to a particular destination: the mountain of God (Exodus 19-20).

Principle #3 - God recharts your course in the desert.

....take your sandals off. The place you're standing on his Holy ground."

Everytime we see glimpses of God's glory, it's our invitation to worship, Priscilla said.

Her encouragement to us in our season of dryness was that:

• our ears would be open
• our heart would be primed
• our eyes would be alight

So that:

We would see the goodness and grace of God even in our desert season.

Session 6: "A Continual State of Readiness"