“Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jeremiah 33:3
Lately, during this era of information, people are always seeking knowledge. They’re spending hours online and pay for courses and webinars desiring to know something new and exclusive. But in the Bible the prophet says it pretty clearly: call to God!
It sounds simple but at the same time complicated. How can God answer us?
Recently I’ve asked this question in a Sunday school class. And for some reason, the response that I got was about angels and voices from heaven. All this exists, but sometimes while waiting for the angel, we can miss something that God is already showing us!
I like that in the Russian translation God says in this verse “I will show you” instead of “tell you”. To let us know something important, God doesn’t even need to use words! A big part of the Bible, for example, is built on symbols and images. Jesus spoke to the people in parables; basically telling them simple life stories. All of this (including “coincidences” and circumstances in our lives) can tell us great and hidden things. We just need to learn how to see that.
Where else can we find those “great and hidden things”?
The Bible is God’s letter to people. He has already written everything that’s important for us to know! Moreover, this book expresses God’s multifaceted nature. You can read it for the first time or for the hundredth, and still find something “that you have not known”
Some people say that the Bible is too hard to understand. That’s why God gave some people skills not only to understand the Scriptures but also to explain it well to others. If you want to hear God speaking to you - look for these people! First of all, in your church: pastors, preachers, leaders, and other ministers appointed by God. Look for them in your surroundings, maybe even online, and listen to what God wants to tell you.
And of course, you can apply this verse directly: “call to Me”! If you ask God about something and learn to hear the Holy Spirit in your heart, He will talk to you. I remember how as a teen I was praying to learn how to hear God. Now the Holy Spirit himself stops me in my prayer sometimes to show me “great and hidden things”
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near”
Isaiah 55:6
I believe that this time is now! Seek Him, call to Him and you’ll definitely find what you’re looking for. God is interested in talking to you even more than you do! So I’m sure that he won’t leave you unattended.
Someone asked me, "for example, what things were great and hidden for you lately?"
After my last post, I got a question that made me think more about revelations. And I decided that I should write another post about what I consider “great and hidden things”.
The Greek word “apocalypse” that is used in the Bible is usually associated with the end of times or the last book of the Bible. But in reality, it’s translated as “opening”, “uncovering” or “enlightenment”. Even the word “revelation” itself is pretty self-explanatory: it means that something that was hidden before is now open for us.
This can be something actually great and unknown like a prophecy about someone’s future and his calling. But usually, we don’t get a lot of revelations of this kind. For example, Joseph saw the dream about his family bowing before him once, and then it took more than 20 years for it to happen. These core revelations can also be repeated and clarified as it happened for Abraham. They give us some direction and hope for the future.
However, I’ve had more experience with more local revelations. Usually, it’s something that we already know but either don’t see it or don’t realize it. Sometimes simple bible texts and truths open up to us in a new way. For example, we all know we’re called to evangelize, but after a certain sermon, we get the desire and actually start doing it.
A revelation is usually something we already know but either don't see it or don't realize it.
Sometimes we suddenly realize that there’s a problem in our life that we used to ignore and we start solving it. For example, while praying you realize that your heart isn’t with God right now but you keep thinking about the show that you’re binge-watching. So you start repenting and remove this idol from your life.
There are also some revelations that encourage us to act. When you suddenly realize that a specific person really needs someone to talk to. Or that you should tell people about this situation because it can encourage someone. So you listen to the Holy Spirit and bring blessing into someone’s life.
This list can go on and on because God works in special ways with different people and this is so amazing!
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