Entry 04 – January 29th, 2017
It came over the airwaves like a primal telegraph…or Tommy can you hear me?
While preparing for this project, I came across a series of short messages I wrote for my brother to be used during one of the weeks that he was leading a youth summer camp back in 2007. They were told from the perspective of Jesus and used as voice-over to video pieces that were shown to the campers as part of the daily message in order to engage them on the nature of faith and the voice of God. I recently reread them and felt that the words within were inspired by something more than just me being clever and thought they might be just what hits the spot for you today…they certainly have for me. I’ll post them over the next five weeks and my prayer is that it speaks to everyone in some way…
The Voice of God is Powerful
Sound. It surrounds you in hundreds of ways throughout your daily existence. Some of these you recognize and focus your attention on – musical instruments, different animal calls, the breeze rustling through the palm fronds, a nearby stream, voices of those around you – while others slip past or are not within your auditory range – a heartbeat, a dog whistle, your normal breathing. These things fill you and have multiple influences on how you perceive the world around you. They are part of who you are and how you were designed to function. It’s no wonder then that the thought of silence is both foreign and frightening to you at times.
Close your eyes. I want you to be as quiet as you can and imagine with me for a moment. With your eyes closed and the lack of sound it’s almost like a void – like there is nothing. In this expanse of darkness there is no shape or form…and yet there is a presence, something residing outside of the darkness…moving through it. All of a sudden, the silence is shattered by a voice – commanding and powerful, but not in a loud or brash way – speaking into that blackness. “Let there be Light.” And it happened. The darkness retreated and a warm glow radiates and illuminates the coming creation. This happened a lot in those first few days. The sound of His voice would fill everything and whatever was spoken became a new part of the creation. The planets and galaxies of stars hanging in the heavens were called forth from His lips. The animals of the earth and sea and the birds filling the skies were realized in the words echoing from his purposed speech. It is truly beyond understanding what kind of power it is to be able to speak an entire universe into existence, even down to the very beings created in His image that have been resuscitated to life by the very breath of the Divine. Can you feel it?
Think of it just for another moment. Imagine what that kind of power must be like…to be able to create something from nothing just by speaking it. It’s incredible…and comforting too. There is a certain comfort in knowing that voice, knowing that at any moment it could resonate from the heavens like thunder and send shudders through the earth…and yet He chooses to speak quietly in our hearts and minds. David felt much the same way when he described the nature of the voice of my Father, indeed the very nature of the Father, when he sang about a strong tower and a refuge in the midst of daily struggles. Even in his darkest moments, when everything seemed to be turning against him David sang about his GOD who was above all others and commanded the very elements of this world. David knew the voice. And he knew that, despite all of the twisted paths that were stretched out before him, the power in my Father’s voice was calling him down the path where he could find rest and joy and comfort even in the midst of the most troubled times of his life.
You might be asking yourself, what does that really mean to me? Well think of it in your own life…are there times when things seem overwhelming? Like everything and everyone seems to be trying to bring you down? Even in my own time here on earth I had moments when I felt like even the people I considered my best friends were not really there for me…but my Father was always there. And He still is, if you want Him to be. That’s the truly amazing thing about Him. Even with all of His power and strength, He will not force Himself on you. He will wait for you to call out to Him, and He stands there with open arms to receive you.
Tonight, take comfort knowing that there is power in the voice of GOD – enough to call forth a dozen solar systems and the infinite cosmos…enough to change your life with a whisper, all you have to do is listen.