“For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.” Job 33:14
Our new pastor here in Puebla, Mexico asked us if we would share our testimony with the church body. Of course, we said yes. Anytime you have the opportunity to share how Christ redeemed your soul, do so. God can and will use how Jesus worked in the lives of those He saved to affect, change, and save other lives. But this time sharing our testimony was very different. The people we spoke to did not speak the same language we spoke. Since our Spanish isn’t proficient enough yet to speak fluently and expressively without great effort, we needed a translator. A young man in the church spoke enough English to fill the need. We practiced with him during the week so that on Sunday we could speak to our new brothers and sisters as seamlessly as possible. Being translated is a very odd thing indeed. Speaking in your heart language and then, in a delay, having something else entirely different told to others, is rather disconcerting. Yes, by now we have enough foundational Spanish to understand most of the translation, but still, the process of having your words moved into a different language makes you feel rather helpless. But if you really think about it, this is just how we receive the Word of God…His Words are translated to us through His Holy Spirit, translated into a language we can better understand.
Job chapter 33 sees long-winded, and at times rather pompous, Elihu continue in his advising of Job. Advice giving and advice receiving is a tricky business. I was given some sage wisdom many years ago about when someone attempts to advise your situation. “Receiving advice is like eating fish, eat the meat but be careful to toss the bones.” You see, all advice from men and women is tainted because all men and women are tainted with sin. Now this doesn’t mean that someone cannot speak great wisdom into your life, they absolutely can. But you must be able to separate the tiny bones from the meat with discernment. Elihu takes us down many rabbit trails, as long-winded people do, yet found within the many small bones of Elihu’s fishy monologue, are meaty gems that touch the truth of God. And within those we find that man, in his natural sinful state, can never truly understand the Words of God without a great Helper…the Holy Spirit of God.
How are you interpreting God's Word today? Are you sitting down with the Bible and performing a topical study of it as if it were a thick university textbook? It won’t work. Are you dissecting God’s Word with the precision of a surgeon using every study tool you can purchase? Without the power of God’s Holy Spirit translating for you, you will merely be engaged in a superficial reading of ink on thin paper. Yes, the Bible in its physical form is mere words printed on paper, but to one that has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, it has come alive. As you are redeemed by Christ and anointed with God’s Holy Spirit, the Word of God becomes an active, breathing formation of words, thoughts, and principles that guides that life. The Word of God is a roadmap, one that the Holy Spirit deciphers in order to see the believer arrive at his destination…sactification. That is, to be more like Christ and not just hear the Words of God, but to be able to do them adn live them. As you approach the Word of God today, first invite the Holy Spirit to be the interpreter you need. Ask Him to bless your time in God’s Word with Godly understanding that will transform, enlighten, and sanctify. For in this way, you will be hearing not from a human voice, but the very voice of God.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will teach you everything, and will bring to your memories all that I have said to you.” John 14:26
“But when He, the Holy Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears (from the Father—the message regarding the Son).” John 16:13 AMP
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