I was
recently browsing through Facebook and saw one of those pictures with a funny
saying. It reminded me so much of a friend of mine, that I reposted it with the
inscription, “This sounds like something you would say.” She laughingly
responded to this by saying, “So true!”
This
funny statement reminded me of my friend only because I know her so well. We
have had numerous conversations concerning the very topic that the picture referred
to. When I had first seen that post, I literally could hear her voice in my
mind speaking those words. I also knew how she would respond upon seeing the
post. There was no fear that she would be offended by my statement, but rather
that she would laugh just as I had. And laugh she did.
Sometimes
we may see or hear something that reminds us of the word of God. A loving
attitude displayed through the actions of another, a statement of wisdom or
sometimes just a random thought may put us in mind of the Lord. This sounds
like something You would say, Holy Spirit. This sounds like something You would
do, Jesus. This sounds like something You have done for me, Father. If we open
our eyes and ears we can see and hear behavior that imitates God every day.
Do we
know the Lord well enough to recognize Him in what others have said? Have we
studied His Word well enough to know when wisdom lines up with the true wisdom
that He has taught over and over again in the Scriptures? Have we studied His
character so well that we see it shining through people we have never even met
before?
The
best way to know if what we hear sounds like what the Lord would say is to
study what He has actually said. By studying the Scriptures, we learn what God
has spoken to His people through the years. We have been instructed to not
simply read but to study. “Study and be eager
and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a
workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately
dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 AMP)
God has
called His people, His sheep. “Then shall they know [positively] that I, the Lord their
God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are My people, says the
Lord God, And that you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are [only] men and I
am your God, says the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 34:30-31 AMP) Jesus explained that His sheep know the voice of their
shepherd and will follow it. As we become more familiar and knowledgeable of
all that the Lord has said, we will actually begin to hear His voice and
recognize it. “The
sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and
they follow Me.” (John 10:27
AMP) We recognize not only what He says, we follow Him.
When
others speak to us with wisdom, we will know because true wisdom agrees with
the Word of God. If the counsel given does not agree with what is written in
the Scriptures, we can know that that is not coming from the Father of light.
Anything that truly comes from Him will sound just like something He has
already said. The church at Berea was praised for checking the Gospel against
the Scripture. “Now these [Jews] were better disposed and more noble than
those in Thessalonica, for they were entirely ready and accepted and welcomed
the message [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in
the kingdom of God] with inclination of mind and eagerness, searching and
examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11 AMP) They recognized the sound of truth in
Paul’s teaching, but they tested it against the truth of that they already knew
was from God. We must do the same.
Know the
Lord and His word well. Then test everything you hear by asking, “Does that sound
like something the Lord would say?”
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