The Voice You Need

The sound of silence is growing at our house as our children are becoming young adults. One of the things I sometimes miss is the sound of their voice - the giggles and squeals of delight when they were little. Come to think of it, there are other voices I miss as well, such as my grandmother, who has gone on to heaven, and a friend who has moved to another part of the country.

Sometimes I think of my grandmother and wonder what she would say if we could sit down together for a cup of coffee. I can still hear her voice - not the quality of tenor or bass but of character. I remember the joy and grace I heard and knew through her voice.

As that sound of silence has been ringing out at my house, I have been growing close to another friend. He is connected with all my loved ones. His voice can be as gentle as a whisper or as powerful as the roaring sea. But like the voice of grandmother, His voice matches who He is. His name is Jesus.

I suspect that those who were with him while he was here on earth remember the words he said to them after he died and rose again. When he returned to them after his resurrection, he said. “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19, 21,26) This is what his voice sounds like and feels like - peace. He said of himself, "I am gentle and lowly in heart." (Mt 11:29) If you hear a whining, nagging, or agitated voice - that’s not his. His voice is pure, peaceful, gentle, friendly, and full of compassion. His voice is free from prejudice and hypocrisy. (James 3:17) His voice is a song of joy singing over us because he loves us and wants to be with us." (Zeph 3:17)

We need a voice of peace these days. Maybe you are hearing the sound of silence. Perhaps you want to cover your ears as the harsh reality of life blares out at you. As the Psalmist says, there are times when we will pass through the Valley of Baca: a dry place without water - a place of difficulty and suffering. It might be loud. But as we keep going through our own valleys, the psalmist also tells us that the autumn rains will come. (Ps 84:6)

There’s something about an autumn rain - it’s wetter, it’s more.

A summer rain can be refreshing.

A spring rain can be renewing.

But an autumn rain sinks in like a tired child in her mother’s lap.

An autumn rain seeps into the fallen leaves and seems to linger.

An autumn rain seeps into the grass and soil, and it remains wet and muddy.

You cannot easily forget the effect of an autumn rain.

There is something about Jesus’ voice. You cannot easily forget the quality of his voice. The sound of his voice is like “a spirit of exalted peacefulness and confidence of joy, of sweet reasonableness and of goodwill”*. It comes like an autumn rain and restores our souls.

As we are with Jesus and learn to hear his voice, something happens within us - something sinks in. While we may not always be fully aware of it at the moment, looking back, we can see we are going from strength to strength with Him. (Ps 84: 7)

Just as he called out to his friends, Jesus calls out to us, saying, “Peace be with you.” This peace is also strong: it will protect you and guard your heart. (Phil 4:7). As we are with him and hear his voice, we are strengthened. May his voice get into us.

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*Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God