Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Certainly this must be one of the big questions. These paradoxes are those you could ponder all day long and not come up with much of a conclusion. How much impact the Bible has on your life can be much the same way. Micah 2:7 asks a rhetorical question - do My Words do good to him who walks uprightly? The problem is, it’s usually only those who do uprightly who are interested in learning from God’s Word. So which came first, walking uprightly before God, or God’s good Word that causes someone to walk righteously?
Unlike those other questions that seem to have no answer, this one actually does. It can also be found in verse seven. Is the Spirit of the Lord restricted? In other words, are you letting the Holy Spirit guide, teach, and direct you? The Holy Spirit puts the spotlight on Jesus, and Jesus focuses on His Father, and glorifies Him. Therefore, the Spirit of the Lord will encourage you to seek out God’s Word in the holy scriptures of the Bible. According to 1st Thes. 5:19 we are not to quench the power of the Holy Spirit and ignore Him because you won’t be able to hear that still small voice speaking wisdom and truth into your soul.
In 1st Kings 19, when the enemies of the Lord where pursuing God’s Prophet Elijah, the Lord told him to go stand on a mountain and wait for God to pass by. As Elijah waited, a mighty wind, then an earthquake, and finally fire came through but the Lord not in them. But then Elijah heard God’s still small voice that by comparison sounded very peaceful, quiet, and calm. This makes sense because Elijah was not calm, rather very upset because his enemies were trying to kill him. Now the wonderful thing about coming into the presence of Lord is that in the midst of your turbulent trial His very nature of peace calms you down. So I encourage you to listen for God’s strength in those tender moments when you pray for the discernment of His will for your life.
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