What He Said / What He Did pt. 4 | June 25, 2023

What a blessing to hear from our friend Pastor Andrew West this morning who continued our series in Mark as we looked at what Jesus said and did in Mark 9:2-13. In the scripture, we see Jesus take three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, to a high place. Jesus is transfigured before them and God the Father speaks saying “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 

There are so many voices trying to influence what we think and what we do. God the Father is directing us, there is a singular voice we're to listen to above all others. To follow Jesus, we need to obey him. To obey him requires hearing what it is he wants us to do. 

The words of Jesus are words of life that help us through every season. When life is good, when life is hard, when we have joy, when we have pain. The reality is, we will face hard times. We live in a broken world. And it can be incredibly difficult when Jesus doesn't remove the pain we're in the way we want. But what Jesus does provide is what we need in the midst of that pain. He will let us see the purpose in that pain and what he will make from that pain. So we listen to him. We hear him. We trust his words of life and that he will give us strength even in the land of death. 

To hear him we must be with him. When we are with him, we must listen to him. When he speaks, we must act. Where he leads, we must go. In all seasons, in all times, in everything, we listen to him. 

Pastor Andrew gave us practical advice to begin stepping into this. The invitation is to practice listening to God this week, to be intentional and set aside time. The other piece of it is to do what He's asking of you. To listen and obey. For some, setting aside time to listen to the Father may be new. For others, a common practice. For us all, the invitation is to make space to hear his voice and step into what he's asking us to do. A simple prayer you can pray to begin the conversation:

Father, as I come before you, I ask you to still my heart and quiet my mind. Father, I want to hear your voice. I want to be led by you. I ask you to give me ears to hear and courageous feet to follow wherever you may lead. Father, what would you like to say to me today?