Scripture: Various
Then the Lord said…

Thought for the Day: I want you to see something. Here are all the places in the Bible where the word of God is spoken to people. Ready? It’s a long list, decease beginning with God’s word to Moses and Aaron: The Lord spoke to Moses (Exod. 6:10; Exod. 6:28; Exod. 13:1; Exod. 14:1; Exod. 16:11; Exod. 25:1; Exod. 30:11; Exod. 30:17; Exod. 30:22; Exod. 31:1; Exod. 31:12; Exod. 40:1; Lev. 4:1; Lev. 5:14; Lev. 6:1; Lev. 6:8; Lev. 6:19; Lev. 6:24; Lev. 7:22; Lev. 7:28; Lev. 8:1; Lev. 12:1; Lev. 14:1; Lev. 17:1; Lev. 18:1; Lev. 19:1; Lev. 20:1; Lev. 21:16; Lev. 22:1; Lev. 22:17; Lev. 22:26; Lev. 23:1; Lev. 23:9; Lev. 23:23; Lev. 23:26; Lev. 23:33; Lev. 24:1; Lev. 24:13; Lev. 25:1; Lev. 27:1; Num. 1:1; Num. 1:48; Num. 3:5; Num. 3:11; Num. 3:14; Num. 3:44; Num. 4:21; Num. 5:1; Num. 5:5; Num. 5:11; Num. 6:1; Num. 6:22; Num. 7:4; Num. 8:1; Num. 8:5; Num. 8:23; Num. 9:9; Num. 10:1; Num. 13:1; Num. 15:1; Num. 15:17; Num. 15:35; Num. 15:37; Num. 16:23; Num. 16:36; Num. 16:44; Num. 17:1; Num. 18:25; Num. 20:7; Num. 25:10; Num. 25:16; Num. 26:52; Num. 27:6; Num. 28:1; Num. 31:1; Num. 31:25; Num. 33:50; Num. 34:1; Num. 34:16; Num. 35:1; Num. 35:9; Deut. 32:48); the Lord said to me (Deut. 2:2; Deut. 2:17); the Lord spoke to Aaron (Lev. 10:8); the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron (Exod. 7:8; Exod. 12:1; Lev. 11:1; Lev. 13:1; Lev. 14:33; Lev. 15:1; Num. 2:1; Num. 4:1; Num. 4:17; Num. 14:26; Num. 16:20; Num. 19:1; Num. 20:23); Moses was to put the words in Aaron’s mouth (Exod. 4:15).

Then the word of the Lord came to . . .

The word of the Lord came to: Elijah (1 Kgs. 17:2; 1 Kgs. 17:8; 1 Kgs. 19:9; 1 Kgs. 21:17; 1 Kgs. 21:28); Ezekiel (Ezek. 11:14; Ezek. 12:1; Ezek. 12:8; Ezek. 12:17; Ezek. 12:21; Ezek. 12:26; Ezek. 13:1; Ezek. 14:2; Ezek. 14:12; Ezek. 15:1; Ezek. 16:1); Gad (2 Sam. 24:11; 1 Chr. 21:9); Haggai (Hag. 1:1; Hag. 1:3; Hag. 2:1; Hag. 2:10; Hag. 2:20); Hosea (Hos. 1:1); Isaiah (2 Kgs. 20:4; Isa. 38:4); Jacob (1 Kgs. 18:31); Jeremiah (Jer. 1:2; Jer. 1:4; Jer. 1:11; Jer. 2:1); Joel (Joel 1:1); John (Luke 3:2); Jonah (Jonah 1:1; Jonah 3:1); Micah of Moresheth (Mic. 1:1); Nathan (2 Sam. 7:4; 1 Chr. 17:3); Shemaiah (2 Chr. 11:2; 2 Chr. 12:7); Zechariah (Zech. 1:7; Zech. 4:8; Zech. 6:9; Zech. 7:1; Zech. 7:4; Zech. 7:8); Zephaniah (Zeph. 1:1); the prophet (1 Kgs. 13:20); me (Ezek. 3:16; Ezek. 6:1; Ezek. 7:1; Ezek. 17:1; Ezek. 17:11; Ezek. 18:1; Ezek. 20:2; Ezek. 20:45; Ezek. 21:1; Ezek. 21:8; Ezek. 21:18; Ezek. 22:1; Ezek. 22:17; Ezek. 22:23; Ezek. 23:1; Ezek. 24:1; Ezek. 24:15; Ezek. 24:20; Ezek. 25:1; Ezek. 26:1; Ezek. 27:1; Ezek. 28:1; Ezek. 28:11; Ezek. 28:20; Ezek. 29:1; Ezek. 29:17; Ezek. 30:1; Ezek. 30:20; Ezek. 31:1; Ezek. 32:1; Ezek. 32:17; Ezek. 33:1; Ezek. 33:23; Ezek. 34:1; Ezek. 35:1; Ezek. 36:16; Ezek. 37:15; Ezek. 38:1; Zech. 8:1; Zech. 8:18).

The word of the Lord came through Jehu (1 Kgs. 16:1; 1 Kgs. 16:7); the word of the Lord was with Elisha (2 Kgs. 3:12); I have a message from God for you (Judg. 3:20; 1 Sam. 9:27); the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar (Num. 26:1); the word of the Lord came to Solomon (1 Kgs. 6:11); what the Lord says I will speak (1 Kgs. 22:14; 2 Chr. 18:13); I knew this was the word of the Lord (Jer. 32:8); ‘oracle of the Lord’ is not to be used (Jer. 23:33–8); if you return safely the Lord has not spoken by me (1 Kgs. 22:28); when you hear a word from my mouth you must give them warning (Ezek. 33:7); when the Lord first spoke through Hosea (Hos. 1:2); the oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw (Hab. 1:1); Haggai spoke to the people the message of the Lord (Hag. 1:13); the poor of the flock knew that it was the word of the Lord (Zech. 11:11); the words which the Lord sent by his Spirit through the former prophets (Zech. 7:12); you who are listening to these words from the mouth of the prophets (Zech. 8:9); the oracle of the word of the Lord through Malachi (Mal. 1:1); this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet (Matt. 1:22); this was to fulfill the word spoken by the Lord through the prophet (Matt. 2:15); I have given them your word (John 17:14); I pray for all who will believe through their word (John 17:20); it is not desirable that we should neglect the word of God to serve tables (Acts 6:2); we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4); they spoke the word of the Lord to him and all in his house (Acts 16:32).^[1]

My point? God is constantly communicating with us—with lots of us. Most of the people in the Bible were ordinary folks like you and I, patient but they awakened to a higher sense of reality, treat one in which the nature of God speaks to their being. These are not one-time incidents. God speaks to people throughout history, and God is still speaking to us today. But, like our ancestors, we have to listen and respond. I hope that seeing this list will help you realize that listening for God isn’t really all that difficult. God’s talking right now! Are you listening?

Prayer: Help me hear your voice, Holy One, and respond with love. Amen.