God will wait for you to listen!

I once asked a kindergarten teacher how she kept her voice trying to talk over the loud and bubbling enthusiasm of a roomful of four and five year olds all day. Her answer surprised me. “When they get loud I purposely lower my voice so they must strain to hear what I am saying,” she confided.

Wow … great concept. I am pretty sure she got that technique from God.

God doesn’t try to keep up with our rushing or talk over our noise. It’s not that He can’t keep up with our breathless pace or has nothing of import to say. And He does have a voice that can ‘out-loud’ the noisiest of environments. After all, Psalm 29:3-6 says: “The voice of the Lord echoes from the clouds. The God of glory thunders through the skies. So powerful is his voice; so full of majesty. It breaks down the cedars. It splits the giant trees of Lebanon. It shakes Mount Lebanon and Mount Sirion.” Living Bible

With a voice that powerful, why whisper? It’s just that He wants us quiet to receive it.

Have trouble getting quiet enough to hear God’s inside voice? You’re not alone. Millions of us are losing our hearing in our loud and pulsating world. There’s noise and commotion dogging our every waking hour.

We have constant music in our ears, traffic noise that penetrates our psyches, incessant intrusions in our workplaces and homes, the shrill carnival barking of the advertisers at each commercial break in our entertainment.

I long for the experience of Israel’s king David. He said, “I hear this most gentle whisper from One I never guessed would speak to me.” Psalm 85:5 The Message Most of us are sad that God doesn’t talk to us, while God is sad that few of us listen!

This week, why not find a place ‘far from the maddening crowd’ where you can be “still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 You may have to get creative to find that place, or you may have to get up a bit earlier to find quiet that eludes you during your busy day.

Whatever you need to do, just do it. Curb your restlessness … close your mouth … shut out distractions … and listen for the voice of the One who wants to guide, strengthen and instruct you. It’s worth slowing down and quieting yourself to hear his gentle, yet powerful voice.