Tues.’s Devo - Hearing from God

Read 1 Sam. 13:23-14:52, John 7:30-53, Ps. 109:1-31, Pr. 15:5-7 In our Old Testament reading two things stood out to me. The first was how Jonathan decided himself what the sign would be to show them whether to go up against the Philistines or not. I think sometimes I am so afraid of manipulating God that I am afraid to put out a fleece. God wants to lead us and talk to us and sometimes we need a tangible answer. It’s hard to hear when you are in the midst of something and you especially if you have a preference. Jonathan just threw a fleece out there and didn’t waver at the response. His armor bearer represented his guardian angel who had his back. The second thing that hit me was Saul’s flippant vow. Did he stop and think about it? His warriors were in the midst of battle and he forbids them to eat? How foolish. It wasn’t the vow that I was so amazed at, but the fact that Saul was going to actually kill his innocent son until the men took up for Jonathan and ransomed his life. Grace and truth always triumph over judgment and the law. In John, the people are celebrating the feast of tabernacles. During the feast they would do a ceremony called the water libation. At the feast of tabernacles God judged the nation for rainfall. To invoke God’s blessing for the next year they would bring water from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple. It was a great ceremony of joy. It was during this ceremony that Jesus stood and said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture says, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” This saying alone made many believe He was the Messiah. They got tripped up over his origin yet no one asked him where he came from. God doesn’t want us to come to Him because we have figured it out, He wants us to come in faith.