Meditating on God's GreatnessSample

The voice that penetrates the heart

“For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord to see and to hear His word, or who has paid attention to His word and listened?” (Jeremiah 23:18 ESV)

I had been reading the Bible daily since I was sixteen years old, but I had never felt the Word become a living voice in my personal situation. One day, I was determined to take revenge against someone who had mistreated me; everything was ready to execute my plan. Then, the Spirit spoke to me with the words of Proverbs 20:22 (ESV): “Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; wait for the Lord, and He will deliver you.” That word stopped my intentions. My hardened heart gave way as I listened to God speak with specific authority.

I understood that a mechanical reading of the Scriptures, without the power of the Spirit, is a lifeless ritual. I was a disciplined reader, proud of my devotions, but unaware that the Word, as Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) states, “is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,” capable of discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

By internalizing this truth, I entered into the “council of the Lord” and learned to heed and obey His voice.

Are you a regular Bible reader, but oblivious to the action of the Spirit? Are you content with legalism and religiosity? It is time for an inner revolution.

Let the Holy Spirit speak into your life today through Scripture, allowing His living and effective Word to transform your heart and your behavior.