Hearing His Voice #255

The LORD spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn’t see his form; there was only a voice.

Deuteronomy 4:12

After a generation of wandering in the wilderness, and before they were to begin their entry into the Promised Land, Moses reminded the Hebrews of their history. After being delivered from Egypt, they encountered God at Mount Sinai. Moses was given privileged access to the divine presence, but all the people were aware of God. How could they not be? He came with thunder, lightning, earthquakes, and loud trumpet blasts. There was a cloud of glory. They were awed by His presence.

But they didn’t see His form. God shielded even Moses from the fullness of His appearance when He passed by in all His glory. None of the other Israelites could get that close. God was revealing Himself, but in measure. He wanted His people to know His will and be awed by His presence, but not so overwhelmingly that they felt compelled to obey rather than choosing to do so. He showed as much of Himself as they could handle.

In our relationship with God, we’ll find a constant interplay between the hidden and the revealed. God is always making Himself known, yet there are millions of people in this world who insist He doesn’t exist because they can’t see Him. Some observe a phenomenon and call it a miracle, while others observe the same phenomenon and call it a coincidence. God doesn’t compel our faith; He invites it. In this world, much of God’s presence will always be mysterious and obscure. We will always have to choose to see what He is revealing.

That also applies to His voice. He is always speaking, but we will always have to trust what we don’t see. The hidden is always being unveiled, but not fully. And we are given an invitation to accept as much of it as we will.

Lord, I hear Your voice, but I don’t see Your form. But You allow me to accept as much as I can of what You reveal. Help me accept Your revelation and trust whatever I don’t see beyond it.