Does God Speak to Us Individually?

Can we really hear God? Walk with Him? Develop conversational intimacy with Him?

Certainly there is evidence of this in the Scriptures, starting at the beginning in Eden when God walked in the cool of the day and spoke with Adam and Eve (1). God also spoke with the prophets in the Old Testament such as to Elijah after he called down fire from heaven to burn a sacrifice placed on the alter (2), and afterwards when Elijah feared for his life because Jezebel sought to kill him (3). And lest we think that God only spoke with Elijah because he held the special role of being a prophet, James reminds us in the New Testament that Elijah was a person just like we are (4). There are other examples in the Scriptures of God speaking with people - Moses, David, Paul, Peter, and Jesus Christ himself. Dallas Willard in his book "Hearing God" makes the point that these events recorded in the Bible teach us the vital lesson that: Our humanity will not by itself prevent us from knowing and interacting with God just as they did (5).

Andes Mountains near Portillo Ski Area, northeast of
Santiago, Chile. I visited this beautiful place in July 2009.

Iranian Christian Sentenced to Death for Apostasy

This Iranian, 32 year old Youcef Nadarkhani (left), has been sentenced to execution by hanging in Iran. His crime is apostasy, or converting from Islam to Christianity. He is also a Pastor and has been baptizing people into the Christian faith. (By the way, Christianity is exploding under the repressive Islamic regime in Iran). Youcef Nadarkhani has been given multiple opportunities by Iranian courts to recant his faith but he repeatedly refuses, even under the threat of death.

This begs the question as to why he won't recant his faith under such pressure (did I mention he has been in prison since 2009?). Youcef is not a terrorist, murderer, rapist, or serial killer. He is a husband and father (see photo below) and is also following Christ's command to make disciples of all nations (1). This man truly has conviction about his faith.

If you are a Christian, have you experienced enough in your faith to make you that resilient? I have to ask myself as a Christian, would I deny my faith under such duress? I hope not. This man Youcef truly understands the "cost" of following Christ (2) and may pay with his life, as have many others before him (including in Iran), for not denying his love for and devotion to Jesus.

If you are not a Christian, doesn't this make you wonder what it is about Christianity that someone would endure such prolonged suffering for their faith? It has to be more than the "going through the motions" Sunday church services that many of us have experienced. As a Christian, I can tell you why. Experiencing a connection with Jesus Christ is the most powerful experience I can describe. He is 100% good, His love is 100% pure, and when we accept him, his Spirit pours His life into ours and takes away the weight of our wrongdoings, our "sin", and clears our consciences. He sets us free and opens new doors for us to live our life in communion with him.

Youcef Nadarkhani with his family.

Sound farfetched? Maybe so. But Youcef Nadarkhani doesn't think so. He has experienced Christ's love and has never looked back. I have experienced that love too, and the deep healing and restoration that it brings. Whether you are a Christian who hasn't experienced this or are not a Christian, it truly is available to everyone. You only need to want it, seek it, and accept it.

Under international pressure, Iranian courts have delayed the sentence and referred his case to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. So there is still hope that his life will be spared and that he will be released from prison. Either way, please say a prayer for Youcef Nadarkhani if you would. If you would like to do more, this website has information on how to get involved: http://aclj.org/iran/americans-support-pastor-youcef-overwhelming.

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3.

(1) Matthew 28:18-20; (2) Matthew 16:24-26.

Whispers of God from Hawaii

Jannis and I at Laupahoehoe Harbor.
The ocean is very wild and untamed here.

Recently my wife and I were in Hawaii, on the big island, a place filled with beauty and reminders of God's creation. Here are a few pictures from there, along with some inspirational words from the Bible.

A green sand beach (which is rare) at the very secluded
Mahana Bay. Green is caused by the mineral olivine.

 



The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
  the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
   and established it on the waters. (Psalm 24:1-2)

This was at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens.
Not sure what kind of flower (or whatever!) it is

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? (Matthew 6:28-30)

The Waipio Valley. The beach is black sand, caused
by lava being slowly pulverized by the ocean.

 [The LORD] set the earth on its foundations;
 it can never be moved.
You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
 the waters stood above the mountains.
But at your rebuke the waters fled,
 at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
they flowed over the mountains,
 they went down into the valleys,
 to the place you assigned for them.
You set a boundary they cannot cross;
  never again will they cover the earth.(Psalm 104:5-9)

Akaka Falls, 442 feet tall!

...praise the name of God—
      it's the only Name worth praising.
   His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky
(Psalm 148:13).

Secluded beach at Waialea Bay.

 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made...(Romans 1:20)



 

Lava covering road at end of Chain of Craters
Road in Volcanoes National Park.

God is our refuge and strength,
   an ever-present help in trouble.
 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,   though its waters roar and foam

   and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3).