Rays of Hope ~ Tim Stockton
A Still small voice as loud as Thunder
Imagine someone trying to tell you something but you are at a distance from them and for whatever reason all they can do is whisper the message they are trying to get you to know. You strain your eyes and turn your ears towards them hoping in some way this will help the whisper travel to you in a way that you can understand. Unfortunately, no matter how bad you strain to hear you cannot. You resort to focusing on their lips thinking you will be able to read them to no avail. Then your brain gives you the idea to move closer. Your legs begin to move closer and closer to the person who is whispering a message to you.
The person relaying the message has still not increased their volume and if you are ever going to hear their message you are going to have to get even closer. In James 4:8 it explains that if we “draw near to God, He will draw near to you.” 1 Kings chapter 19 tells the story of Elijah and how he didn’t hear God in the wind storm, nor the earthquake, nor a fire, but he heard God in a still small voice. Just like the example above of trying to hear someone whispering to us we have to take the advice of James and “move closer” to hear the still small voice that God uses to speak to us that to others may sound as thunder.
After Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem just before His crucifixion He explained that the hour had now come for Him to be glorified. There was a voice from Heaven that proclaimed, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” Some of the people proclaimed that they heard “a voice of an angel” while others said that it had only thundered.
Wouldn’t it be sad to think that when God spoke you were not able to understand what was being said because all you thought you were hearing was thunder. Those who seek after God and want to know what He says will have their spiritual ears tuned in so that they will hear the message and not mistake it for a great noise in the sky.
The closer we get to God the more able we will be able to interpret His still small voice while those who choose to stand afar off will only hear a noise.
Originally published in The Wayne Weekly 10/16/22
Rays of Hope 