Do You Listen to Jehovah’s Voice?

[Hubi]

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

isn’t it amazing how quickly we can sometimes come up with an excuse when we don’t really want to do something?

“Now isn’t really the right time.”

“I can’t do it.”

“Maybe someone else would be better suited for this.”

And sometimes we tell ourselves these things so often that eventually, we actually start believing them.

But you know what? We’re not the only ones who have done that.

Even faithful servants of Jehovah sometimes tried to find reasons to avoid doing what Jehovah asked them to do.

Think about Moses.

Jehovah gave him a big assignment. Moses was supposed to go to the Israelites and to Pharaoh.

But Moses had one objection after another.

“Who am I?”

“What should I tell them?”

“What if they don’t believe me?”

And finally he said:

“Please, Jehovah, send someone else.”

Moses was afraid.

And yet Jehovah did not give up on him.

Jehovah helped him step by step.

I find that very touching.

Because perhaps we know that feeling too.

Deep down, we know what Jehovah wants from us — but immediately a little “but” comes into our mind.

“But I’m not strong enough.”

“But I’m afraid.”

“But this is really difficult for me.”

And perhaps Jehovah doesn’t say:

“Why are you so weak?”

Maybe, instead, he is saying:

“I am with you. Trust me.”

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Jonah also did not want to listen to Jehovah at first.

Jehovah gave him a clear assignment — and Jonah went in the opposite direction.

But Jehovah did not give up on Jonah.

He helped Jonah correct his attitude.

And eventually, Jonah went.

That teaches us something very beautiful:

Jehovah does not expect us never to be afraid.

But he does want us to be willing to listen to him and to allow ourselves to change.

Because sometimes, that is actually our problem with God’s Word.

We read something — and immediately we know:

“That applies to me.”

And then our mind starts working.

We start looking for an explanation.

For a “but.”

For a reason why, in our particular situation, it might be different.

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Imagine going to the doctor.

The doctor examines a patient and honestly tells him:

“If you want to stay healthy, you need to make some changes.”

The patient may know perfectly well that the doctor is right.

But on the way home he starts thinking:

“It’s really not that serious.”

“Other people do it too.”

“I’ll start next week.”

The doctor has spoken.

The patient understood what he said.

But understanding something by itself doesn’t change anything.

Something only changes when we actually do something about it.

And it’s similar with Jehovah’s Word.

The Bible doesn’t just tell us what is right.

Sometimes, in a very loving way, it also shows us:

“This is something you need to change in yourself.”

If someone has been stealing, the Bible says: “Let the one who steals steal no more.”

If someone has a habit of lying, he can’t simply say:

“It was only a little white lie.”

And when we realize that an attitude doesn’t please Jehovah, it’s not enough to say:

“I know.”

At some point, we need to say:

“Then I want to change.”

And that is where we show how seriously we take Jehovah’s voice.

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At 2 Corinthians 4:12, Jehovah said to Moses:

“And now go, I will be with you and teach you what you should say.”

What loving words!

Jehovah didn’t say:

“Moses, you have to handle this all by yourself.”

He said:

“I will be with you.”

Maybe we need that reassurance too.

Perhaps we already know what the next step is that we should take.

Maybe we have been putting it off for quite some time.

So perhaps today we could honestly ask ourselves:

“Do I really have a problem understanding Jehovah’s voice — or is my real problem doing what I already understand?”

That is a very personal question.

But it can draw us closer to Jehovah.

Because Jehovah isn’t looking for perfect people.

He is looking for people who are willing to listen to him.

Maybe you have made excuses before.

Maybe you have been like Moses.

Maybe even like Jonah.

But Jehovah has not given up on you.

And so today we can say to him:

“Jehovah, I understand. Please help me to act on it.”

Because sometimes we don’t need another explanation.

We don’t need another excuse.

We simply need the courage to listen to Jehovah’s voice and take the next step.

And when we do, we will experience something wonderful:

Jehovah doesn’t expect us to make the whole journey on our own. He simply wants us to trust him and begin following him.