The Voice

 John 12:28 "Father glorify Your name," then a voice came out of heaven , "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." 

A voice. That word translated from the Greek means a blaring sound, a language, and an utterance. Do not miss this point. Many people look for a voice. They look for it in the stars, in crystals, in the clouds, and various other mystical ways. It is not the voice I am after. I looking for and listening for the voice of God. Not other religious gurus. Not philosophers or pop starts. It is the person behind the voice that I long for. Yahweh. Jehovah. Elohim. God the Father. He is what we should all be seeking. With Him comes His voice. 

The voice on that came to Jesus in John 12:28 was not for Jesus. He knew His Father's voice whether audible or internal. Jesus said the voice was for the people. It was another sign indicating that He was Messiah. Those people totally missed it. They said the voice was just thunder and others attributed it to angels. People do the same thing today. They dismiss God's voice. Make no mistake about it. God still speaks. His voice is still available even though it may not be audible. 

For me personally, I have never heard the audible voice of God. Not that I doubt He can speak audibly if He chooses. He speaks to me in His word and through the Holy Spirit most prominently. To speak about God's voice sounds so mystical. People get weird about it. Learning to hear from God is no different than for me distinguishing the voices of Brenda, Taylor, Tanner, Tucker, and Turner. When they call me I know their voices. I love them. We have spent enough time together. I recognize them by their voice even if I cannot see them. In the same way, over time we learn the voice of God. 

God speaks to me most consistently through His word. He did so again this morning. I prayed asking God to speak to me and a verse popped into my mind. I should rather say it was the reference to a verse. Not one I was familiar with the content. I turned and read the passage and it turned out to be the answer to something I prayed about for over a year and a half. Knowing I hear God's voice in the scriptures motivates me to keep reading, to keep seeking, and to keep listening. 

God has spoken to me in other ways. He has used a cardinal, the back door of a diesel truck trailer, songs, phrases in books, text messages from other people, and the quiet still voice of the Holy Spirit. I promise God still speaks. He yearns to speak more than we want to listen. So attune your attention to the unseen voice. What He has to say to us is vastly more important than anything we have to say to Him. 

Repent

 The sins piled up over the course of a couple of years. Blind spots not easily detected. Little weeds in the garden that took root and were choking out the rest of the garden. Those weeds had to be pulled out by the roots. One by one. 

Repentance was in order. Repent means to feel regret and remorse for wrong doings. It also involves changing course and resetting the mind. That is what I needed, but too blind to see it. For days I prayed feverishly and fasted just to hear from God. Hour upon hour He was silent. Days on end. Month after month. I couldn't understand it. I pleaded with God to show me what I was doing wrong or what it was that hindered Him from speaking to me. I read His word. I got up early to pray. I earnestly desired to hear from Him more than anything else in my life. 

Like a clogged hose where something obstructs the flow of water, sin obstructed my hearing from God. Little sins I did not even notice. They crept in subtly. Sins like apathy, doubt, callused heart, compromise, bitterness, and lukewarm devotions. The list was longer than I suspected. I had to repent and come clean. I confessed those sins and asked God to forgive me. [I Jn 1:9] He is faithful to do that. 

I prayed and asked God to speak. He impressed a certain verse on my mind. I did not know what it said and hurriedly looked it up. It was a specific verse about something I've prayed for a year and a half. Right there in black and white. The answer I long sought was there all the while. It was my sin that kept me from receiving it. [Ps 66:18] reminds us that if we regard wickedness in our hearts God will not hear. 

We do not take repentance nearly as seriously as God does. Our sin hinders our fellowship with Him. Our transgressions can also choke the powerful move of His Spirit in our lives and churches. This happens all the time. We may do the devotions and wander through worship, but we do not connect with God because our sin gets in the way. God hates our sin much more than we do. He wants to uproot it from our lives. 

[Ps 119:23-24] Search me O God, and know my heart, try me and know my anxious thoughts. And see if there be any hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way. 

[Ps 51:10] Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

It is time for the people of God to do some housecleaning. To do some weed pulling. If we want the power of God to flow through our lives and churches, we must repent first. Repentance is the first step leading toward revival. Our hearts and congregations certainly could use a fresh move among us once again. Things have grown stale. The religious rituals have become rotten with routine, and not refreshed with the spirit of revival. May it begin in us today and spread. Let it begin with repentance.