That still small voice…

Who has the loudest voice in your world?  Your partner? The kids?  The boss at work?  Perhaps at this time of year the Australian Taxation Office?  Maybe it’s a background voice like the bills to be paid, passing that exam, deciding what’s for dinner?  So many voices!  I suspect if we think about it, we realise we have learned to recognise each of them.  We have listened to them many times.

I left a message on a telephone answer service recently, only to realise later I didn’t say who was calling.  It was okay.  They knew my voice.  We had listened to each other many times.

A conundrum arises.  What if the most important voice is the quietest?  What if it’s the voice least listened to?  How do we grow to recognise it?  My Bible tells me the voice of God is a gentle whisper (1Kings 19:12) but still his people listen to his voice (John 10:27).  Yet, it’s difficult to recognise a voice unless we’ve heard it many times.

How might we know when we are hearing the voice of God?  I suspect it involves seeking him and listening to him.  And doing it many times.  Despite the loud voices.