“Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost says, ‘Today, if you would hear His Voice’. . .”
Hebrews 3:7
Shhh. Be still and listen.
There. There. Did you hear it?
“What?” someone asks.
There. There it is again.
“What?” comes the question again.
You know:
His Voice.
Like the wind whispering in the boughs of a tree. . .or the quiet, lapping sound of the tide as it ebbs-and-flows on the seashore. . .so is the “still, small Voice of God” (I Kings 19:12b). And, only those whose heart is soft and attune to His quiet call will hear him (I Sam. 3:1-10).
How easily we mistake His Voice for “the sound and the fury” (I Kings 19:11-12a). Somehow we think He speaks only in mighty ways—forgetting He is the Perfect Gentleman who quietly knocks at our heart’s door (Rev. 3:20).
Or, we miss His Voice because we sit at the wrong place, much preferring the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (popular opinion, the latest philosophy, etc.) over “the tree of life” (God’s Word, the feet of Jesus).
“Drawn away by our own lusts” (James 1:14; I Jn. 2:16), we eat of the “forbidden fruit” (Gen. 2:9, 17; 3:1-6) of man’s wisdom, forgetting this leads to division, dissension, discord and death (James 1:15; 3:14-16). And, in so doing, we “harden our hearts, grieving His Holy Spirit, always erring in our ways by not knowing God’s ways” (Heb. 3:8-10).
Is it any wonder, then, that “wandering” and “restlessness” so accurately describe the “evil heart of unbelief” that no longer hears His Voice (Heb. 3:11-12)?
No, it’s no wonder.
That’s why we must “be still and know that He is God” (Ps. 46:10a).
We must “stay (Heb. ‘camak’—‘to prop upon, lean on or take hold of, rest upon, etc.’) our minds upon Him as we trust Him, for only in so doing will He keep us in perfect peace” (Is. 26:3).
Let others wax long and eloquently upon end-time events and conspiracy theories. Let others debate the ins-and-outs of theological issues and doctrinal differences. Listening too long to these will likely only leave us further confused and prone to despair.
Much better is our whispering “The Lord knows” and leaving the Big Picture up to Him—assured of the Final Outcome (Rev. 22:1ff). So, stop right now, dear Pilgrim, and listen. What’s He saying to you??
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated July 27, 2009
