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There is this famous language in the lives of many, but still not known or understood by many others. Some clearly understand this language because they were either born into the kingdom or circumstance led to them to learn and understand the language. What is this language we are referring to and who speaks it?
The language of God!
‘Does God have a language?’ you may ask. Yes, He does; and it’s certainly one you would want to know.
Without a doubt, we know that God speaks to his Children. They hear him, understand him and follow his guidance. What we should ask ourselves is, when He speaks, do we hear him and do we understand him?
John 8: 43, 47
43. “Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.”
47. “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
Taking this back to when Jesus was on earth, it stirs up curiosity on why many words Jesus spoke in the gospel were parables and why many didn’t understand Him. Do you realize that we still learn a lot through parables, directly or indirectly? It might not be on biblical scenarios, but at any point one uses an illustration to explain something with the aim of making the listener break it down to his own terms to see the true meaning or come to a moment of truth is similar to a parable.
This tells me that God’s word comes with wisdom, if only we open our eyes of understanding to it. Why then did the people in the biblical era not understand all the words Jesus spoke? Why were they often angry when Jesus spoke messages of God’s kingdom? Do we still have people who are ignorant of the word of God and how God is speaking to them? Why the lack of understanding?
There are reasons why many did not and do not still understand the language of God. Here’s a few:
1. No thirst for eternal life: When I read the gospels, I saw that some people were literarily contented with what they had in their lives at that time and so they became hardened to the truth about the kingdom of God. They were not expectant and had no thirst for eternal life. If we do not hunger for the truth, the holy spirit will not reveal it to us.
2. Contented and controlling: Some thought Jesus was coming to overthrow their authority which they had established for themselves. They didn’t want anyone contending with that and this is still the case nowadays. Some of us still want to be in control of ourselves, our life, as if we made it by our own power right from the start. If we do not submit to the authority of God, we won’t hear the truth of his word and we won’t hear what he has to say to us.
3. Blind expectation: Sometimes we create expectations in our heart and chose to believe what we want. This also hinders our ability to hear the voice of God or understand what He’s saying to us. The people of old did this same thing. They just couldn’t imagine the savior of the world in human flesh, born and raised among them. Many of us who are waiting for a miracle to happen are expecting it to happen in a grand style and we fail to see the simple ways leading to it.
4. Not Deeply rooted: It wasn’t surprising to see that many people who followed Jesus left him when he started speaking in parables about himself as the son of God, the one who has come to save the world. And his body is real food and his blood real drink. They thought this was absurd and they stopped following him. Some people are walking and working in the presence of God but they can’t experience him or hear his voice, because they are not deeply rooted in him. They might just be there for one reason or the other.
God wants his people to hear his voice, recognize it, listen and fellowship with him. His way of speaking might be confusing to those who don’t know him, but he is always speaking to his own and He desires that his own seek understanding to his words. At any point in time, you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. Be receptive and listen to what he says. His words always come with wisdom, direction and comfort. May we know him, may we accept him and may we learn of his power.
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