Monday, April 27, 2009

God Speaks through Supernatural Things (Part One)

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"Where the word of a king is, there is power; and who may say to him, "What are you doing?" (Ecclesiastes 8:4)

Few things are more unsettling to our well-ordered way of life than for God to suddenly break in upon us with “a rushing mighty wind.” Especially when we are inside a building, with no open windows.


Or when somebody tells us that an angel visited them in the night, or that they heard the audible voice of God speaking to them in their car. Or when they were in a trace, or saw a vision, or were mysteriously transported from one place to another by the power of God.

We have no place to put things like this, so we don’t put them anywhere – we toss ‘em! We deny them, even though they are undeniable. And we debate them – especially if nothing like this has ever happened to us. And we often discredit those who say such things, for their testimony is otherwise too overwhelming.

Some seem to get just enough Bible-knowledge to become opinionated about everything they think is wrong with everybody else. And nothing sets them off more than when somebody confesses to having an unexplainable supernatural encounter with God. I mean, just try telling your friends that you were baptized in the Holy Spirit and started speaking in tongues – you’ll see what I’m talking about real fast.

In fact, the very fact that I even gave THAT example has already tuned somebody off; and they won’t even bother reading the rest of this. C’mon, folks; are we really that stupid?

Jesus is Lord. He reigns on high, and He moves freely among the sons of men. He speaks as it pleases Him to do so, and none may say to Him, “What are you doing?”

In view of the fact that we are looking into some of the many ways through which God speaks, it seems rather essential that we not overlook the spiritual dimension of the supernatural realm. While the Lord most often speaks to us in our language, sometimes He uses His own – and thereby transcends the natural realm. He is not reticent in using things that are outside the rational, concrete, logical world of facts and figures. He is both natural AND supernatural.

Webster defines supernatural as "existing or occurring through some agency beyond the known forces of nature, and outside the natural order; relating to an order of existence beyond the visible, observable universe; transcending the laws of nature."

Remember, He is the Lord of Heaven and earth; the King of all. And, in the words of Solomon, “Where the word of a king is, there is power; and who may say to him, ‘What are you doing?’" (Eccl 8:4).


Solomon also gave us an important warning -- "Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2).

Tomorrow we will look at Paul’s personal testimony about his mysterious visit into the third heaven, and learn a very important lesson about the supernatural things of God.

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