
“...And He said, Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold the Lord passed by, and a great strong wind rent the mountain, and brake into pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, a still small Voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entering of the cave, and behold there came a Voice unto him…”
1 Kings 19:11-13
There are times when hearing God's voice is more difficult than others; yet, I believe every human being is capable of hearing very specific directions from God, whether we choose to listen is another story. Some people consider God the voice of reason or conscience; I do not, reason and conscience is our own. Depending on how you were raised and the type of ideals instilled during your formative years, there will be decisions you make in life that you consider lofty, and some, by your own standards, you will consider low.
The Voice I am referring to, is the one that says, for example, "Move the car to the right lane now!" Somehow you reiterate the same command out loud; although, no one else is in the car with you. And, lo and behold, right after you obey the Voice, a metal object large enough to have taken your life falls off the truck that was in front of you —in the lane you just came from. —That's the Voice I am referring to. If you grew up with your parents, or those you consider parents, their voice will stand out in your head. In many instances you can hear their voice in your sleep, and, can easily imitate them for fun. You can be in a crowd of thousands, yet somehow you can easily make the distinction between their voice and every other voice in the crowd. Animals also have this trait. They can easily differentiate between their master’s voice and that of a twin.
The problem with hearing The Voice is that, we keep so many other voices in our heads simultaneously, it becomes difficult to distinguish which one is God, which one is culture, and which one is ours. When I refer to culture, I am referring to the radio, friends, family, media, music, advertisements, and yes, even daily devotions like this one. We adhere to so many voices, that often, we do not give ourselves time to notice and note the distinction between God’s Voice and everything else.
Truth be told, God’s Voice has a way of working through the clutter. We know this is true because He gets through to us in spite of ourselves. But, wouldn't it be great if we actually took the time to quiet the clutter? —To simply release our minds into His care, so that He wouldn't have to scream just to get our attention? L.
Study Reference: Kings 19:11-14
From: "Hearing His Voice." In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell
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