A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. –John 4:23-24
Some years ago, I was driving with my family in Los Angeles and saw a commotion in a parking lot. I saw a dozen people with cameras and did what any self-respecting person would do: parked my car and took off running with my wife’s camera out. The activity centered around a bus stop where a well-known singer was making a music video.
Near the scene of the controlled chaos, I spotted a homeless man speaking to some Starbucks sipping women sitting nearby. He said, “You know, God speaks to your spirit. It’s a great thing when you realize that He is always speaking and you can hear it in your spirit.” He kept repeating a similar thought to them. At first I was a bit embarrassed: here’s a big scene with a music star, the paparazzi, producers, and directors, people driving by. And here’s a homeless man in dirty clothes wearing a big cross saying things about God to people who hadn’t signed up for the class.
Then I realized that what he was saying was sound theologically. And the women were listening to him and speaking to him respectfully. And God is a spirit and God is speaking. So what was wrong with the picture?
What was wrong and is wrong is that God seems like an interruption sometimes. And sometimes He speaks in ways that fly under our radar or through people who are embarrassing to us. But what does it matter? Truth is truth, and in the end, God, like lightning, is looking for a conduit. He is not silent and He has eternity to remind us of, and listening is a very wise thing to do; even if the message comes from a homeless man with a big gold cross standing on a street corner in Hollywood.
GOING DEEPER:
1. How might God be speaking to you in ways you haven’t fully appreciated or respected?
2. What do you think God might be saying if you are still enough to listen?
FURTHER READING:
1 Kings 19:9-18; Isaiah 30:21