Speaking for God

When it comes to people claiming to speak for God, I often strongly doubt the authenticity of their words. Perhaps that makes me like the Israelites who rejected the prophets. Certainly those I am doubting would think so. Ironically, I feel that I myself have heard from YHVH more than a few times.

The earliest example I can think of happened when I was about five or six years old. I was getting ready for church one morning and felt that I should wear my very best clothes for this special time with God. I proceeded to put on my favorite shirt. I don't remember what I wore on my legs, but that shirt was in my opinion the best shirt I owned... it was so great in fact that I had begun to wear a couple holes into it. Dressed my best, I went downstairs proclaiming that I was ready to go. My mom saw me and said "You are not wearing THAT." I was crushed. She sent me back up to my room to return with something more to her approval.

In my room again, I kneeled in front of my dresser and opened the drawer. Looking into it, I could see nothing that was better than my favorite shirt. With tears brimming over, I prayed. "Whats wrong with this shirt? Its my best shirt. Why do I have to change it?"

Then an answer came to me. "Its not what you wear on the outside that matters, but what you wear in your heart."

Equipped with the word from a higher authority than my mother, I descended the stairs with confidence and now proclaimed: "God said its okay if I wear this shirt because its what you wear in your heart that matters, not what you wear on the outside."

My mother was not at all convinced. She sent me straight back to my room with a few added consequences if I didn't return 'properly' clothed. As I trudged back up, the tears were in full flow, only now I was angry. I was so angry that I nursed that anger throughout the entire church service (thats a long time for a 5 y.o. to be angry).

The message I received was good, and to this day I believe it was sent from YHVH. But, I got it all wrong, and it took me over ten years to realize it. In my arrogance, I didn't hear the message given to me. I didn't apply it to myself. Instead, I thought I had received heavenly permission to disobey my mother and wear what I wanted. Perhaps if I had remembered that God also said to honor your mother, I would have dressed in my best that day. Instead, my heart was clothed in anger. Not only did I miss the point, but I also added to the message when I passed it on. I gave my own interpretation, that I could wear what I wanted, as if my interpretation were God's own words.

YHVH had answered my question, "Why do I have to change it?" He meant that I should obey my mother because it didn't matter what I wore on the outside because He was concerned with my heart. The message was for me, not my mom.

So that day, long ago, I heard from YHVH and boldly spoke it out (along with my own interpretation), claiming that it was all a message from God. My audience had strong doubts that this word was heaven sent and rejected the message. I of course thought that she was rejecting the very words of God. But, the message was not for her, it was for me, and it turned out that I was the one who was really rejecting His words.

Perhaps those people I encounter today who claim to speak for YHVH really have heard from Him. Yet, is the message they recieved for others, or is it for themselves? Do they speak purely the message they received, or do they add to it or take from it? Speaking in YHVH's name is a great responsibility. What if we mess up the message and someone has believed our error? If we hear from Him, His words need to first be applied to our own lives, and then if meant for others, passed on to them with the utmost care. What we hear should also agree with what scripture says. Its an easy thing to claim your own words and thoughts are the message of the Almighty One.