Good Morning Father!

I am thinking about all the different times you have spoken to me, and that started me thinking about how you spoke to some of the Patriarchs of the Bible. You are so relational, wanting to communicate to us your love, your affirmation, and your desires for our lives!

Abraham was a great man of God. We all know that. Let us look at how God began speaking to him. In the beginning he was called Abram. Later because of his faith in God his name was changed to Abraham signifying that he would be the father of many nations.

Abram was the son of Terah. They were from the land of Ur. I believe this is present day Iraq. We are not told why, but Terah set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to take his family to live in Canaan. I believe Terah was being directed by the unseen God, because God had a plan that was to be orchestrated through Terah’s son Abram. This reminds me of a scripture in Proverbs.

Proverbs 20:1
The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

When they came to Haran, they settled there.

Genesis 12:1-4
The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” So, Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.

The LORD singled Abram out and began speaking to him of his purpose in life. He was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. When God speaks to his children, faith is imparted in a remarkable way. Abram left all that was familiar to him. His country and culture, his people, and its pagan worship.

Why?

To follow the One true God who had given him incredible hope for his future!

Hebrews 11:8-10
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

God always speaks with an end in mind and it involves his purposes and plans for our lives.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

These plans are prepared in advance! Our part in following these plans is to seek the Father, listen to what he tells us and then to be obedient.

God had such an amazing plan for Abraham’s life that would stretch throughout generations! Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.
It is because of Abraham trusting and believing God that I and many other people have come into the kingdom.

Ruth is another person in our Judeo-Christian heritage. She was grafted into the vine in an interesting way. Ruth was from the country of Moab. Moab was one of the sons of Lot. The Moabites were a pagan people involved in idolatry and worshiped many gods. Elimelech and Naomi moved from Judah with their two sons to live in Moab because of a famine in their land. Elimelech died and Naomi was left with her two sons to live in Moab. They married Moabite women. Ten years later both of these sons died. Naomi decided to return to Judah once the famine was over. She encouraged both of her daughters-in-law to stay with their people in Moab. Orpah listened to her mother-in-law and stayed in her homeland, but Ruth would not give up. Ruth made a declaration to her mother-in-law found in the book of Ruth.

Ruth 1:16-17
But Ruth replied; don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

I love this passage of scripture! A portion of it is engraved in my wedding band. Ruth is making a declaration of commitment to Naomi, yes, but also to her LORD. I believe Ruth was converted during her marriage to Naomi’s son. God made himself known to her. She renounced her pagan upbringing turning to the God of Israel. In the above passage of scripture she declares him as LORD. Ruth knew him! Faith rose in her heart, and she was filled with faith and declared,” Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.” Ruth found great favor in Judah and went on to marry into what would be the lineage of our Savior Jesus Christ! Wouldn’t you say that God had an amazing plan for this little Moabite girl? He singled her out and began to speak destiny to her. It is through Ruth’s faith and testimony that I believe today.

As I think about all the men and women in the Bible, I am smiling on the inside and out. They delight my heart because of their faith and trust in this unseen God.

• Moses with his awkward low self-esteem was really a Deliverer.
• Gideon hid in the winepress to thresh the wheat in fear of the Midianites, when God saw him as a mighty warrior.
• God singled out Esther, an insignificant Hebrew girl, living in a time of great persecution to deliver her people.

Then there are my favorites such as Nehemiah, Isaiah, Hosea, and Zerubbabel. All were average men who took the time to listen to God and obey Him! What amazing exploits they all did because they stepped out in what they knew God was planning for them. His purposes took precedence over their own thoughts, ambitions, and desires. When God begins to share his heart for humanity with us; we become passionate to do what he is asking us to do. There is a burning in our hearts; we are compelled to do it.

John 16:13-15
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

We are no different than these men and women of God. Seemingly insignificant but filled with the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. God is speaking and sometimes whispering in our ears. Go this way-

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way, walk in it.

The LORD longs to be gracious to us. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are so relational. Their desires run deep, for their children. We desire good things for our natural and spiritual children. In the same way God longs for us to be fulfilled in Him, but so much more.
He has specific purpose for each of us individually. So, if we have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to us, He will enlarge our thinking. Go here….and do this…..

This is a word I received in my quiet time on September 20 of this year.
I have captured your heart as you have sought after mine. Steady yourself and learn from me. I have so much to share with you. Be steadfast in all that you do. Learn from me. I only followed the Father and did what he told me to do. Follow this example.

Jesus is the Son of God and yet He always met His Father early and received His directives from Him. We should do likewise!