Glory be to the God of Isreal.

[Maryanne Winder Lester]

Glory be to the God of Israel

Honor is His, glory is His, praise is His, we are His, the earth and the heavens are His. Whenever we look at God in this way it pleases Him and He allows us to feel His presence. As we continue to praise Him while exalting His holy name, His glory illuminates our atmosphere. As King David spoke these words so real in Psalms 97:4-6: His lightning lights the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His Glory. One of the reasons why I love King David is I can relate to his trust in the Lord. Yeah, I know he’d slip sometimes but he always knew God’s voice when he heard it. Let’s talk about the voice of God. In the beginning He spoke creation, to Adam and Eve He spoke life, to the serpent He spoke curses, to Cain He spoke warning, to Noah He spoke concern, to Abraham He spoke sacrifice, to Hagar He spoke compassion, to Jacob He spoke Israel, to Joseph He spoke visions, to Moses He spoke freedom, to David He spoke promise, to Solomon He spoke knowledge, wisdom and understanding, to Isaiah He spoke judgment, to Jeremiah He spoke repentance, to Ezekiel He spoke rebuilding, to John the Baptist He spoke of His coming, through Christ He spoke salvation, through the Holy Spirit He speaks His word, to Paul He spoke faithfulness, to John He spoke revelation. That’s why it’s so important that we are obedient to the Spirit of God.

The sound of His voice can sometimes be like a harp. But depending on where you are at the time in your walk in life, it can also sound like thunder. Remember when He spoke to Ba’laam, He was the voice of the donkey. Numbers 22:28 states, “And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Ba’laam, ‘what have I done unto thee, that thou has smitten me these three times?’”Ba’laam did the same thing we still do today. His mind only allowed him to see the donkey not hear the donkey. I remember telling my wife one day after I had read those verses the first thing I would have noticed was that I was having a conversation with a donkey! My first reaction would have been, ok Lord help me understand this situation because I didn’t know that donkeys could talk. Sometimes it is a blessing to be ignorant and not have knowledge of His word! We’ll get into that a little later o.k.? Ba’laam had a relationship with God yet still did not really understand God. We still tend to do the same thing today when God is speaking to us.

Think back to the times when you had gotten in trouble and you say “I should have followed my first mind.” Believe this people in the body of Christ, there is no first mind. It’s the Holy Spirit. Remember when Cain slew Abel, the Spirit of God came to him with the voice of warning before he committed his sin. Genesis 4:7 states, “if thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou not doeth well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”Isn’t it amazing how even when we are wrong he is still faithful.

I remember last year I got pulled over for speeding but before I got pulled over the Lord had been speaking to me since the early morning but I couldn’t hear Him. My mind was being occupied by things that were outside of the knowledge of God. He gave me every chance not to drive my car. He made my donkey sit on me a whole lot of times that day and just like Ba’laam I kept on hitting those warnings with my stick. Just think about it for a moment, how many times has your donkey spoken to you? See, the donkey also represents patience. What God is saying is this, He’ll get you there when He knows you’re ready to acknowledge His purpose for you in His plan for you to advance. Ok let’s go even deeper into understanding the voice of God. After Ba’laam didn’t hear Him in the conversation with the donkey, He manifested His presence in an angel before him and spoke to him. At that time, Ba’laam realized it wasn’t about the donkey it was about His words of warning in the presence of the Lord.

So, I ask you saints, have you heard your donkey today? If not, stand still and wait for the voice of the Lord. Always remember Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. Remember Him in all you do and He will lead you down the right path. So, from my wife and I, we send greetings with our Lord and Savior’s blessing upon you. Have a blessed day!

Melvin and Maryanne Lester November 13, 2009