-- Mark 13:31
To what voices do we listen? By what words will we live?
As example, this morning I ran across a TV program that a year ago was stirring fierce debate. Its subject and subject matter were inescapable - being the focus of news reports, magazine covers, etc. Opinions varied. Voices spoke. The volume raised. And now - near silence.
The point is some voices fade and many words lose power. They meld into the cacophonous symphony of white noise that plays around us all the time. Some of these shouting voices raise the volume, demanding to be heard. But ultimately, it is not volume that creates words that last, it is the truth therein.
The Apostle Paul, in speaking to his protege Timothy wrote: "The Scripture is God-breathed and powerfully applicable for living;" (My translation of 2 Timothy 3:16). Jesus put it this way: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God;" (Matthew 4:4).
The point is, there is one voice to which we must listen. Its message is truth. Its content powerful. Its words, life. Peter said to Jesus when those around were abandoning the call: "... to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life;" (John 6:68).
God's voice is often a whisper - barely heard. And it is less perceptible with ears than with an open and a willing heart. He speaks through his word. He speaks through his children. Through his church. Through his creation. He is speaking. The question is: will we listen?
An Old Testament story tells of a prophet looking for God. As he stood in a cleft of the mountain, a mighty wind ripped through, but God was not in the wind. Then came an earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake. Then a roaring fire blazed, but God was not in the fire. Finally, there came "a still small voice" - the voice of God's presence.
Words of truth are easily drowned out by the chaotic noise of life. We must learn to hear. We must seek to listen.
Ultimately, other voices will fade; their messages exposed. But the words of God are life.
God, open my ears, that I might hear...
For now...
D
