August 28, 2022: Faith Story: He Listened to God
He Listened to God
Hebrews 11:1-2, 7 & Genesis 6:11-22
Rev. Rhonda Blevins
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.
By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.
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Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw that the earth was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth. Make yourself an ark of cypress[a] wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and put the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks. For my part, I am going to bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come in to you, to keep them alive. Also take with you every kind of food that is eaten, and store it up, and it shall serve as food for you and for them.” Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
Today we continue the series I’m calling “Faith Stories.” We’re taking the “Roll Call of Faith” from Hebrews 11, and looking at the faith exemplars found there, with the hope that we, too, might be considered among the faithful servants of God.
So to recap:
· Week 1, we discovered that indeed, we have a place in the “Roll Call of Faith” because of our belief in a Creator.
· Week 2, we studied the life of Abel, who offered a pleasing sacrifice to God.
· Week 3, last week, we looked at the life of Enoch who walked with God.
Today brings us to the story of Noah, who needs no introduction. He’s one of the most famous Old Testament figures—religious and non-religious alike know the story of Noah and the Ark. So I want to test your knowledge with a couple of Noah trivia questions. Are you ready?
Where did Noah keep his bees? In the “Arkhives.”
What was Noah’s profession? He was an “Arkitect.”
Where did Noah put the penguins on the ark? In the “Arktic” section.
I could go all day!
Noah is such a familiar character. You know the story. By the tenth generation, humanity was a huge disappointment to God—violence and corruption filled the earth. So God decided to wipe humanity off the face of the earth.
Let’s pause there. Do I believe God enacted a mass genocide? No. Do I believe the ancients interpreted natural disasters as God’s handiwork? Absolutely. That theology is rampant even today. It’s terrible theology.
God chose to save Noah and his family, and through Noah, the animals of land and sky. Noah built an ark just as God prescribed, brought the animals and his family aboard. And it rained for 40 days and forty nights (40 being a number that represents a time of trial or testing). They had to stay on the ark until the waters receded for a total of roughly one year. Eventually Noah and his family and all the animals disembarked, and through them humankind got a second chance.
Yay, Noah!
But it’s the first part of Noah’s story that the writer of Hebrews found most compelling: “By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark.”
When we go back to Genesis to the story that inspired this line in Hebrews, we find two primary actors with two primary actions: God said, Noah did. God said, “Build an ark.” Noah did exactly as God instructed.
Noah listened to God. He didn’t just listen, he obeyed. He didn’t just hear God’s voice, Noah heeded God’s voice.
When we read the story of Noah, I think many of us imagine that God spoke in some audible way, some voice out of the sky, that sounds like James Earl Jones. Thinking that way gives us an out: “Well if God spoke to me like God spoke to Noah with a loud, booming, audible voice, it would be easy to obey!”
But what if God spoke to Noah the way God speaks to us? And how can we, in the 21st Century, hear God’s voice?
I’m glad you asked! Today I want to share with you five ways we can hear God’s voice. To help us remember, I’ll use an acrostic poem: V-O-I-C-E.
1. VERSES. We have an advantage over Noah in that we have VERSES from the Bible. Over 31,000 verses to help us understand the nature of God. Now, I don’t want to be trite, because I get that understanding and applying the pages of holy writ can be challenging. In my own faith journey, for instance, I interpret scripture now much differently than I did, say, 30 years ago. And at times I have had a love/hate relationship with the Bible. But there’s never been a time that I couldn’t find a story or a scripture or a teaching from the Bible that helped me. One way we can hear God voice is through the VERSES of scripture.
There’s a story about Jesus near the beginning of Gospel of Luke—Jesus is launching his public ministry after his 40 days (there’s that number 40 again) of testing in the wilderness. He goes to his hometown of Nazareth, and he enters the synagogue on the sabbath. Someone hands him the scroll of Isaiah, and Jesus finds the VERSES for the occasion, and he reads to them: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18)
That day, the people heard the voice of God through the VERSES of scripture. God still speaks through the VERSES of scripture.
2. OTHERS. We can sometimes hear God’s voice through OTHERS. Back to the story of Noah—think about the people who received their “get out of genocide free card” not because they heard God’s voice, but because Noah told them what God had said. Noah’s wife, Noah’s sons, Noah’s daughters-in-law.
Do you ever wonder what they must have thought about Noah as he told them what he heard God say, and when he started to build a ridiculously large boat? They must have thought he was crazy!
Sometimes, others are more attuned to God’s voice than we are. God can speak to us through family members, friends, colleagues, neighbors, teachers, therapists, doctors, preachers, even children. If we open up ourselves to the idea that God can speak to us through anyone at any time, we position ourselves to receive God’s voice. God often speaks to us through OTHERS.
3. IMPRESSIONS. God often speaks to us through IMPRESSIONS. Here’s a definition of “impression” that may help me explain what I mean: “an idea, feeling, or opinion about something or someone, especially one formed without conscious thought or on the basis of little evidence.” The Holy Spirit, living within, speaks to us through IMPRESSIONS.
Elijah, hiding out in a cave expected to hear God’s voice first in the wind, then in the earthquake, then in the fire. God voice was not in the loud, flashy phenomena. To Elijah’s surprise, God’s voice was in a gentle whisper. The “still, small” voice of God. Maybe not even a voice at all, but an . . . IMPRESSION.
Dreams are excellent sources of IMPRESSIONS. I’ve had several dreams throughout my life that helped nudge me in the way I should go. They seem to be more frequent in times of spiritual growth and/or discomfort.
One of my favorite examples in the scriptures about people hearing the voice of God in a dream is in the story of the Magi. After they found the Christ child and paid homage, the scriptures tell us that God warned them in a dream not to return to Herod, so they went home by another way. God still speaks to us in dreams. We can hear God’s voice through multiple IMPRESSIONS.
4. CIRCUMSTANCES. God often speaks to us through circumstances. “God, should I take this job or that job?” A letter comes in the mail that reads, “we have decided to pursue another candidate.” OK, God, message received loud and clear! Doors open. Doors close. Both are instructive.
This past week, I’ve had two different friends speak to me about toxic workplaces. Did God orchestrate the toxicity? I don’t think God operates that way. But is God speaking through the toxicity? Absolutely! “Get out of there!” Do not stay in an abusive situation whether it’s a job, a church, a friendship, even a marriage.
On a more positive note, think about Moses, and his life circumstance when God spoke to him from a burning bush: born a Hebrew, grew up in Pharoah’s house, spent 40 years tending sheep in the wilderness. All of that was the perfect set of CIRCUMSATANCES to be chosen by God to lead the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. God still speaks to us today through our CIRCUMSATANCES.
5. EMOTIONS. God speaks to us through our EMOTIONS (I just did a whole series on this!) Let’s talk first about negative emotions, and God’s role in them (2 Timothy 1:7): “God did not give us a spirit of fear but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” Contrast that with Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
One of the primary ways God speaks to us is through peace—a state of being void of anxiety and fear, free from restlessness, shame and guilt. When we’re trying to hear God’s voice, it is paramount to notice where we find peace. Wherever we find peace, God is near. God speaks to us through our EMOTIONS.
Verses.
Others.
Impressions.
Circumstances.
Emotions.
These are five of the most important ways we still hear God’s voice. This is not a comprehensive list, but it’s a good start!
Back to our friend, Noah. We don’t know how God spoke to Noah. Maybe it was a booming James Earl Jones voice from the heavens. Maybe Noah heard God’s voice through circumstances that gave him a knowing about a flood to come. We don’t know how God spoke, we just know that God spoke.
And God still speaks today in myriad ways to those who have ears to hear. Sometimes through the verses of scripture or through others in our path. Sometimes through impressions or circumstances or emotions.
God is still speaking. This much we know.
The question is: are we listening?
It wasn’t God speaking that earned Noah a place in the “Roll Call of Faith.” It was Noah’s response. Noah listened AND obeyed. Noah heard AND he heeded.
May we find ourselves faithful as we, too, listen to the still, small voice of God.
I close with a prayer entitled “Blessing to Open the Ear” by Jan Richardson:
That as we wake
we will listen.
That as we rise
we will listen.
That before our first words
of the day
we will listen.
That when we meet
we will listen.
That at noontime
we will listen.
That at dusk
we will listen.
That at the gathering
of night
we will listen.
That entering sleep
we will listen still.