The Voice – Devotion 57

Lost in the madness is the voice.  I get off track and just need to hear.  I lose my place and forget the comfort.  I go forward into the unknown and wish it was bouncing off of the trees.  I crave to hear it.  I pause to take it in.  Surely it is there and I am just focused on something else.  I hear it ever so faintly when my heart is broken and my spirit feels so weak.  I know I am not alone, but I just want to hear, to hear the voice.

We grow up recognizing voices.  Babies distinguish the voice of their caretakers.  Children can detect a voice of a family member from across a store.  A voice can bring comfort when we are scared or lost.  A voice can be reassuring when we don’t know what to do next.  When we lose loved ones, we have a deep desire to hear their voices one more time.  There is just something about hearing them speak.  We can hear kindness and love in others.  We can feel compassion in words spoken.  Words of redirection and discipline are easily detected in voices.  Even disappointment can be identified when others speak.  It is amazing the emotions that are evoked at the sound of a voice.

There is one voice that speaks peace and love.  There is a voice that is a guide and reprieve.  There is a voice that helps us to understand that no matter where we may be, we are never alone.  This is the voice of God.  Unlike the voices of our loved ones, this voice is most inaudible by our ears.  This voice is heard through our heart.  This voice lights up our entire selves and resounds in the walls of our lives.  Because it is not audible like others, it is easy to miss.  It takes effort to really hear.  But if we are honest, it takes effort to really listen to any voice.  If we will listen, though, we will be changed.

Do you hear it?  Do you hear him speaking to you?  Do you feel his presence in the middle of your grief?  Do you know the warm comfort of his words?  Are you wrapped in the voice of love?  If not, I invite you to hear.  He is speaking to us.  And it is good.

Focus Scripture:

John 10:1-5

 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

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