Hearing His Voice #16

The voice of the LORD splits the mighty cedars.

Psalm 29:5

We thought the voice of God was much more subtle than that. We thought it was almost imperceptible, the kind of voice you have to strain to hear when the breeze is blowing in exactly the right direction and all else is quiet. But Psalm 29:4-9 tells us otherwise: “The voice of the LORD is powerful . . . majestic . . . splits the mighty cedars . . . strikes with bolts of lightning . . . makes the barren wilderness quake . . . twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare.” The same voice that created entire universes with just a word is still active today. When He speaks, things happen.

So why the discrepancy? Why is this powerful, majestic, forest-stripping, lightning-bolt voice so hard for us to hear? How does it radically transform the environment, yet fall ever-so-subtly on our ears? Perhaps we’re listening with the wrong ears. God’s voice is an intense and immensely powerful force, rather than a series of sound waves. Perhaps He issues loud commands to nature’s obedient instruments but whispers His love and guidance to those whose spirits can choose and must relate to Him by faith. Perhaps if He dictated everything to us clearly and decisively, it would be the end of a relationship and the beginning of rote servitude—a condition for which He did not design us.

Regardless, we need to understand that the voice we strain to hear isn’t weak. Just one word from God can change any situation at any moment. He may whisper to us, gently guide us, tell us about His plans for us, and counsel us in the midst of our circumstances, but when He issues a command, it’s done. We must never mistake His quietness for reluctance or weakness. We can depend on the power of His voice—even when we aren’t hearing it clearly.

Lord, I invite You to speak powerfully into my circumstances and into my heart. I trust Your timing and Your ways. Change whatever You want to change.