Learning to listen to God through others

“Let the Righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; it is oil upon the head; do not let my head refuse it . . . for still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.” SALM 141:5 NASB IN EVERY wilderness of David's life, a Psalm was written. Yes, every wilderness was a unique time of brokenness that taught David to worship God or learn a lesson from God. In the wilderness of Engedi, he learned forgiveness. He spared the life of King Saul, not once, but twice! In the wilderness of Judah, David learned to worship.

The ‘Wilderness’ shaped David's heart making it sensitive to God in hearing God's voice through others. David was trained by brokenness to humbly listen to God's corrections through the voice of others. Here is the gist of the matter. Willingness to listen to God through others requires a tailored, unique brokenness. Here, the heart is made soft while the skin is made thick.

David remembered this lesson when God sent David a woman of discernment named Abigail. She was the wife of the most worthless man on earth named Nabal. The whole story is recorded in 1 Samuel 25, I beg you to read this. David did not kill Nabal at the height of his passion for revenge because God stopped him through the wisdom and discernment of Abigail. He was graciously spared . . . a close call to committing a sin that would have damaged him and his career.

Thank God for God-sent Abigails! That, I think, is the background of Psalm 141:5 . . . a prayer for a soft heart ready for correction and thick skin which shields us . . . a protection from the seduction of the wicked to taste their delicacies.

Being broken leads David to live a life transformed by God. David not only liked to hear God's correction through others, David longed for it! David asked God three favors so he can hear God's voice.

He asked God to set a guard to restrain his mouth. "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips" Psalm 141:3. His brokenness experience and encounter with God made him see that the greatest enemy is self.

The poisonous tongue is untamable by any man. It takes the LORD, himself, to guard it.

PAsking God to guard his mouth gave David the wider opportunity to hear the correction of the righteous. With a humble, restrained tongue, God can now purify his dreams and help him discern to choose his company. Remember, it is the correction of the righteous and not just the correction of any one. David learned to listen to those who depended upon God . . . whose voice of rebuke centered on the glory of God instead of simply becoming addicted to safety.

The difference between the rebuke of the Righteous from any other critic is that the godly seek to glorify God rather than just being right—doing things by the book.

David learned to not be defensive whenever the Lord sent a message through a godly vessel. Do not over-credit your critics who do not carry the scars of brokenness themselves.

Discern well with regards who is talking to you. Remember, we are after hearing God's voice through godly messengers . . . not just any bearer of God's reproofs.

Will you take time to pause and review the events in your life these past days? Are you sensitive to God's voice hearing him through Abigails? Spiritually broken people long for the rebuke of the righteous.

While learning to listen to God, David was determined to set the clear boundaries, so he would not be contaminated by the influence of the wicked. Wicked people are not only those who have foul mouths, they are also called wicked the moment they become self-righteous.

It is so important that we connect ourselves with a community which is experiencing God's transformation through brokenness. Here, we have healthy and grace-inspired relationships with real friends who also love God and long for His correction through others.

It is soothing to the soul to know that God is committed to correct whomever He loves! Thank you Lord for mercifully stopping us from destroying our selves... Thank God brokenness made us soft to hear God and brokenness also made us stubborn in dealing with the wicked.

Thanks for reading, I always write from my broken heart. SSDavao