With revelation comes responsibility

I heard a sermon the other day that really got me thinking and returning to that ‘count the cost’ idea Jesus shoots out at us.

The guy was talking about Solomon and 1 Kings 11:19 where it says “The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.” God had first appeared to Solomon in a dream where he makes the famous request to be wise, and then again after the dedication of the temple.

How often do we clamor for more and more of God’s presence, His revelation, for Him to speak and reveal and fall on us? And how often do we reckon with the notion that His typical “still, small voice” might actually be a mercy?

When God whispers I imagine there is a certain amount of grace for us to get it wrong. For us to say, perhaps even willfully, ‘Sorry Lord – what was that again?’ as we continue on our own disobedient, ignorant, or distracted path.

But if He speaks audibly to us, if he writes on a wall, if he calls our bluff and gives us exactly the ‘sign’ we asked for...how then does our wrong action (or inaction) look before the throne?

I’m not saying that I plan to shrink back from seeking God’s face, but I realize that what I’m asking for is not a trivial thing. Hearing God is not simply for my amusement or even my edification. His word is alive and in fact the more clearly I hear that voice, the more responsibility I have to act on it.