Hebrews 1:1-2 NLT
Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.
 
These opening verses of the letter to the Hebrews declare that God has always spoken to people. He did it in the Old Testament as he spoke through the prophets and then in the New Testament through his Son, Jesus. It is good for us 
to stop for a moment and reflect that he didn’t have to speak. He could have 
chosen to create humankind and leave us alone. He could well have looked at 
what a mess people made of the world and decided to remain silent. But he 
didn’t. His choice was to communicate and before launching into this wonderful 
letter we should stop for a moment and praise God that his desire is to 
communicate with us.

In the Old Testament God spoke many times and in many ways through the 
prophets. Often the communication was in the form of words, but on many 
occasions it was through dramatic actions such as the moment when 
Jeremiah wore an ox yoke in order to demonstrate the nature of the 
oppression that the people would experience under King Nebuchadnezzar. 
It was the same in Jesus’ ministry which not only embraced wonderful teaching 
but also many actions which showed his compassion and love, and supremely in 
his death on the Cross.

For thousands of years God has been speaking, and the question that we must 
all face is – are we listening? Are we willing to set aside our self-centredness 
and pride and allow the voice of God to challenge, nourish and strengthen us? 
That’s an important question for all of us, but perhaps particularly for those who 
have been Christians for a long time. It’s very easy to think that because we 
know the Bible stories and have received good teaching over many years, that 
we have nothing new to learn. But the truth is that every day we need to be 
listening for the voice of God, and have a willingness to let it change our lives.
Question: In what ways has God spoken to you recently?
Prayer: Lord God, we praise you that you are a God who speaks. Thank you for the ways in which you speak directly into our lives day by day. Amen 

Released on 12 Feb 2022