Wednesday, October 14, 2020

October 18: God Listens

Do you ever feel as if someone is not listening to you? Perhaps it's your boss, a child, or maybe even your spouse. We are all accused at times of not hearing something or not listening to someone. I’m sure you feel that someone you know isn’t a very good listener. When King Hezekiah and the Southern Kingdom’s backs were against the wall, they wondered if God would listen to them since they had made so many bad choices in the past. The fact is that God does listen and this will be the focus of the Explore the Bible Study: God Listens.

The last session from Isaiah 31 focused on the fact that Judah (the Southern Kingdom) faced a crisis and determined to turn to Egypt for help instead of turning to God. They didn’t even seek God for advice before making their decision (see Isaiah 30:2). Isaiah warned Hezekiah not to depend on the horses, horsemen, and chariots of the Egyptians. In chapter 30 Isaiah called the citizens of Judah rebellious children who carry out a plan, but not God’s plan. He says they made an alliance against God’s will and piled sin on top of sin (See Isaiah 30:1-5).

The alliance with Egypt was a failure and Assyria, now under the leadership of king Sennacherib had conquered most of Judah and was poised to conquer Jerusalem. In Isaiah 37, Hezekiah finally realized they had to turn to God. But would God listen?

We probably all struggle with whether or not God will listen to our prayers. We will discover that God does hear the prayers of His people and will act to fulfill His purposes and plans.

DOWNLOADABLE STUDY HELPS

The Bible study helps have been modified in order to provide opportunities for both online and face-to-face teaching venues. Ideas in boxes will be provided for engaging groups more when meeting in person. The boxed items could also be modified and used for online discussion as well. 

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VIDEO SESSION