What a powerful night of prayer and worship we had together at April’s Arise. Gosh, I hope you were able to be there with us as we gathered and worshiped together, but if not, make sure to watch it here. 

Today, I just want to point your gaze to a few passages of Scripture—verses that speak to the character of God, of who He is, and how He works. Life is hard, and we need these reminders in Scripture. There are countless times when it feels as if the season in which we are in will never come to an end. There are seasons in which God seems to be silent. There are times when we have gone silent, meaning we have stopped actively pursuing the Lord, and so He seems silent. Life gets busy, schedules are demanding, and the most important things sometimes get placed on the back burner. 

Do you know what I mean? I’ve been there, in each of these places. 

It is in all of those times that God’s Word seems to speak the loudest to me—when I’m starved for His presence, when I’m desperate for His wisdom, when I’m too busy to put first things first, there it hits me. 

His Word is truth, and it is all that I need. 

“This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is His name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” — Jeremiah 33:2-3

Feeling as if God isn’t listening to your prayers? Feeling like your cries to a Holy God are going unheard? On the contrary, He is inviting you to pray them. He is inclining His ear to your plea. And He is ready to speak to you. Are you listening?

“Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts his voice, the earth melts.” — Psalm 46:6

Perhaps there isn’t a truer verse than this one to describe the times in which we live. There are days I wonder if the world will keep on spinning ‘round. Nations are in uproar. Kingdoms seem to continue to rise and fall. War and rumors of war lurk around every corner. But, He lifts His voice. At just the sound of His voice, the earth melts. This is our God—all-powerful, all-knowing, all-consuming, all-sufficient. He speaks. Are you listening?

But now, this is what the Lord says—
He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” — Isaiah 43:1-2 

It’s not a matter of “if”, but rather “when.” When you face hard times, God has made some promises to you. He will be with you. He will incline His ear to your prayers. He will be found when you seek Him. He calls you by name. He has redeemed you. You are His. God is present, and He speaks. Are you listening?

- Cherie Wagner, Arise Discipleship Lead