A Sensitive God

"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world." Hebrews 1:1-2

Prior to God creating mankind there was a rebellion in Heaven. Revelation 12:4 reads, "His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth." This verse is thought to refer to a time when the devil rebelled against God and took a third of the angels with him. While we do not know this for certain, what we do know is that after God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden, the devil showed up to tempt them into disobeying God. In Genesis 3:5, the devil said to Eve, "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." We know that Adam and Eve fell into temptation, ate the forbidden fruit and sin entered the world. This is referred to as the Fall. Later on, we have the Jews enslaved in Egypt when God delivers them from the bondage of Pharaoh. During their journey to the Promised Land, the Jews witnessed multiple miracles by God in order to keep them moving and protect them from Pharaoh's advancing army. God led the people by a pillar of smoke during the day and a pillar of fire at night. He parted the Red Sea which enabled them to cross it on dry land. God then returned the waters to their original state which led to the army of Pharaoh being drowned. After all of this God went to speak to His people and they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, or we will die (Exodus 20:19).” Thousands of years later, God came to the world in the person of Jesus Christ. He performed many miracles, fulfilled ancient prophecies and lived a sinless life. He eventually was betrayed by His own people and put to death as an innocent man. During His ministry, there was a moment when He reflected on His people and said, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling (Matthew 23:37)." These are just a few examples of the times God was rejected by His own people as well as Lucifer (the devil) and a third of the angels. Ask yourself one question, "How much rejection could you take before you would hesitate to open up to people again?" Generation after generation, God has reached out to the people of the world, both Jew and Gentile, and for the most part, He has been rejected. Even for those who believe in Him, many times all they want from Him is what He can provide to bless their flesh instead of desiring to know Him for who He is.

Have you ever wondered why, as a Christian, it seems as if God never speaks to you? Take a moment and consider that God may be a bit sensitive about opening up to people. After all, just look at His experiences in the past previously mentioned. Aside from the verse when Jesus was lamenting over Jerusalem, there are other times you could see His frustration with the people. In John 6:26, Jesus says, "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill." The people only wanted Jesus because He fed them not because they were interested in whether or not He was the Messiah who had come to save them. At another point, the Lord said, "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah (Matthew 16:4)." He said this in response to the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to Him asking to see a sign from Heaven. It was as if He was a circus performer sent to entertain them. They didn't believe in who He was, but kept testing Him anyway. Then there is Jesus being presented to Herod. "Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. And he questioned Him at some length, but He answered him nothing (Luke 23:8-9)." Jesus had reached a point where He had been rejected so much that He refused to do anything at all, even respond to repeated questions. Of course, this was to our benefit because it all added up to Him being crucified for our sins. However, what I hope you see in all of this is that God has had a long history of trying to speak to the people of the world. And throughout that history, the vast majority of the world has rejected Him. The angels were in His presence in Heaven. Adam and Eve were in His presence in a perfect world. The Jews were in His presence as He rescued them from slavery. And God came to us as a man to reach out to us in person. The result was that time after time we rejected Him. Therefore, take this into consideration if you do not hear from Him, but do not be dismayed. Remember, that God, through your faith in Jesus Christ is faithful to you, will never leave you or forsake, and nothing can separate you from His love. Whether or not you believe He has spoken to you, be encouraged that He is still there in your presence for all eternity.