“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and UPHOLDS ALL THINGS BY THE WORD OF HIS (FATHER’S) POWER. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they” ~ Hebrews 1:3-4.

The rainbow is a symbol of God’s faithfulness to His Word reminding us that He is the promise keeper. Jesus upheld all things by trusting the Word of God’s power. God spoke all things into existence and Jesus knew God’s word would come to pass. Jesus never stood on His own word, but on the Father’s word to and regarding Himself, and in knowing the Father and His will and way. He believed God and stood ready, watching for the fulfillment of all things to come to pass, and He worked with the Father toward that end.

He also knew when a danger was no more than a threat because it was not yet His time. He walked out from the midst of an angry mob without fear for his life because He knew His end as prophesied in God’s word and He believed God, therefore He was unafraid. He slept in the midst of a storm tossed boat because He believed and trusted God with regard to His destiny. He refused an earthly crown, knowing the Father had so much more in the works.

It is by knowing God’s word and His purpose and plan for us that we, too, can stand the test, the storms and the threats of this life. Are we Rainbow Ready: watching with earnest expectation and hope in the fulfillment of God’s promise and plan? Are we standing on His Word to us, trusting in His will and way?

I was asked just yesterday how to know we are hearing from Father in our personal situations and I have been thinking of how to respond to that. There is no sure outline to follow that works for every person. As I think of my own journey to discerning the Father’s voice, here is what I see:

Faith to believe: We are told to ask when we need wisdom, and if we ask in faith to believe, He will give it. What I have found and believe true is that God always responds to the sincere heart that is seeking Him. The problem comes when we second guess God and fail to receive His word to us with faith to believe it is Him who is speaking.

My journey to know the voice of God and trust it became strong when He pointed John 10 out to my heart, telling me through it that those who are His KNOW His voice and follow Him. I latched on to that and decided, God’s word being true, that I could trust that. So I told Him of my faith in His word and that when I discerned what I recognize as His voice instructing me, I would follow that in faith unless He made it clear to me that I was misinterpreting the voice. I called God to remembrance of His word and expressed trust in Him to be keeper of His word in my life. Wow, has He ever been faithful to grow my understanding and comprehension of how He speaks to and works with me.

I don’t believe any one person can say, “This is God’s voice.” In my experience, He works different with each individual, as Proverbs 22:6 (AMP) says, “in keeping with his individual gift or bent”. It takes faith to believe God’s faithfulness for a person to know His voice, and following His instruction requires…

Trust in Him: We can have faith to believe what He speaks to us, but fail to have trust in Him to work His will in the situation. Jesus not only had faith to believe the Word of God toward Him, but He trusted God to make things happen in accord with His will. We too often fail to follow through with faith filled trust because we don’t know the outcome.

Trusting God requires realizing that He sees the bigger picture and has a purpose for the outcome of our situations. Hearing God’s voice requires we have a faith that obeys His lead while leaving the outcome to Him. Even if the outcome of following His directives is not what we hoped for, we can trust and know that God is working a plan and purpose that will ultimately achieve much more than we can see and know this side of eternity. People too often fail to follow God’s instruction to their seeking for fear of the unknown outcome, and usually there is a possibility of things going in a direction we see as bad.

Paul’s experience when the Spirit kept him moving toward Jerusalem despite warnings that the outcome would not be good on the earthly realm of things is an example (Acts 21-28). He knew the outcome of his continuing forward had great potential to bring a hardship he did not desire, but he also knew that God had a good purpose for the outcome and that He would work great things out of his willingness to follow with faith-filled, believing trust in His power to accomplish good.

Stopping to think about that, how can it be any different? To always follow only the directives we discern to be God when we know the outcome will be what we want requires no faith to believe in and trust God. What kind of God would He be if we never had opportunity to walk with faith in trusting Him to be bigger than life?

Faith to believe that trusts in God so as to follow without being able to see clearly is vital. When we can trust God, no matter the outcome, that is when we have the strength of His power to see it through to the finish. This is the faith Jesus had that allowed Him, in His darkest hour, to say, “Yet not My will, but Thy will be done.” He knew the cup of hardship He was about to partake of would not be easy; but He trusted God for the outcome and was strengthened to drink of the cup. Trusting God to be God despite what we see in the earth. That is the Good Shepherd’s call.

Father, You are our hope. No matter what this life brings to us, You are faithful and will have Your way. Jesus walked through and out of trouble without fear because He knew His day, ordained by You, had not yet come. Father, pour forth our measure of faith a hundred fold and empower us to “only believe” so we may enter Your rest and find help for the times of good and the days of trouble. Grant us to be rainbow ready followers, having faith to believe in You and trust to follow You, knowing You will work good for our eternity whether or not our earthly outcome is what we desire. May we know Your voice and faithfully follow You into eternity. In Jesus, amen.