The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections

Bible Verse Matthew 10:27 KJV "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops." Reflection There are seasons when God draws me into a darkness that is not punishment, not abandonment, but a classroom. A hidden place where my eyes cannot lead, and my feelings cannot guide, and my usual ways of understanding fall silent. It is here — in the unlit spaces — that He teaches me how to hear. Darkness slows me down. It removes the props I lean on. It quiets the noise I didn’t realize I had allowed to settle around me. And in that quiet, God begins to speak in ways I would have missed in the light. He whispers, not because He is distant, but because whispering requires closeness. He hides me “in the shadow of His hand” until my ears grow sensitive again, until my heart stops reaching for explanations and starts reaching for Him. In the dark, I am not asked to analyze, interpret, or explain. I am asked to listen. To s...

  Bible Verse 1 Samuel 3:10 KJV "And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth." Reflection There is a kind of listening that goes deeper than sound — the listening of a heart turned toward God. Samuel’s simple reply, “Speak, for Your servant hears,” wasn’t dramatic. It was availability. It was willingness. It was a child leaning toward the voice he loved. I want to live with that same devotion of hearing. Not just catching the moments when God speaks loudly, but staying attentive when His voice comes through quiet things — a word, a person, a sunrise, a stirring in my spirit. Too often, I let my attention drift to what feels urgent, and I miss the One who is actually speaking. It isn’t that I don’t want to hear Him. It’s that my devotion gets distracted— by tasks, worries, and by the things I think I must do. And in that distraction, I become deaf to the very voice I long for. But God is patie...

Bible Verse Exodus 20:19 KJV "And they said unto Moses, 'Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.'"  ("And they said to Moses, 'You tell us what God says, and we will listen. But don't let God speak directly to us. If He does, we will die!'") (NLT) Reflection There is a kind of disobedience that never announces itself as rebellion. It doesn’t slam a door or shake a fist. It simply… doesn’t listen. Not because we are defiant, but because our love has waned, our reverence dimmed, our attention distracted. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” And when we finally see how often we have ignored Him, not out of hatred but out of indifference, shame overcomes us. Israel’s plea at Sinai exposes something familiar in us: “Moses, you speak. Not God.” We prefer the safe distance of a human voice. We enjoy testimonies, stories, sermons — anything that lets us nod politely without having to obey immediate...