Hear and see

 

Hab 2:1

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

There is something interesting in this verse, which is easy to miss on first reading. The prophet says: I will look to see what He will say to me… We do not often use our sight to hear something, do we? And yet, it is such a natural thing to do. If I were to speak to you about the deliciously cold glass of Coke we drank after a long walk in the mountains on a sunny summer day, I just know that you would vividly picture that tall glass, covered with condensed drops of moisture on the outside, as I was speaking!

God most often speaks to us in picture language, which is why He designed us to have an imagination. If I mentioned a beautiful red apple, you would “see” it in your mind’s eye, which is your imagination. You would not see it as letters spelling a-p-p-l-e. And it would not matter whether your physical eyes were opened or closed – in both cases your spiritual eyes would see the apple, using your imagination.

This is why it is so important that we ask God to sanctify our imaginations, and then very carefully guard what we allow to go into our minds via our eyes and ears, so that we do not defile it. This has become the most critical battlefield of our time – to not be exposed to the ever-increasing obscene images strewn all over our environment, and the God-reviling words reaching us via music and other media forms.

How do we use our imagination to hear from God? There is a vital key given to us in this verse from Habakkuk, when we read that we must “stand” and “station ourselves”.  To stand means to come to a standstill, to stop. Station yourself means to present yourself to God. Therefore, you need time, and an eagerness to hear from God. Choose a time in the day when you can cease all your activities, when there is nothing that will interrupt your special time with God. And start that time with positioning yourself before God in your imagination, it could be kneeling before Him in the throne room, it could be meeting Jesus at the well. No details are necessary, it is the intention of the heart that is important to God. And then patiently wait on Him to respond. Do not let your own thoughts intrude, keep your mind stayed on Him. If He gives you a vision, or Scripture, write it down when the encounter is over, and ask Him to interpret it for you. If nothing happens, praise Him and worship Him, and go about your day knowing that He is always with you, whether you “feel” something or not – take by faith the truth of Jer 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. And joyfully schedule the next meeting with Him for tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. Persevere. Very soon your spiritual eyes and ears will become sensitive to His way of communicating with you!

Points to ponder:   Think about Jer 29:13 – what does “with all your heart” mean? What do I need to do differently to let this be true in my life? Do I need to re-order my day? Stop looking at certain shows and videos? Choose different forms of music to listen to?

Encounter Jesus