How often we take things for granted until suddenly they disappear—jobs, friends, health, finances, and on and on.  This week, as laaryngitis ravaged my throat, my voice disappeared and I experienced firsthand the value of speech.  I guess I could look at it positively as one way to hold my tongue, staying out of trouble for saying things better left unsaid.  I could also seek the Lord for what He might be saying to me, so I looked up scriptures relating to ‘voice’ and was impressed anew by the majesty and power of our God.

Sometimes he speaks so quietly we miss His message, not because he has laryngitis—he doesn’t!!!  But because He wants us to listen carefully for His words; to tune out the things of the world and pay attention to Him.

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.  And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  1 Kings 19:11-13

Yes, the voice of God can be quiet and comforting—even conversational at times—but it can also be frightening.  The incredible power and majesty of His voice are indescribable, but Elihu and David gave it a pretty good try.  I would imagine that even as they spoke/wrote these words they must have felt they weren’t even coming close to doing Him justice.

At this also my heart trembles and leaps out of its place.  Keep listening to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.  Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth.  After it his voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard.  God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend.  Job 37:1-5

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.  The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters.  The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.  The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.  He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.  The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.  The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.  The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”   The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.  May the Lord give strength to his people!  May the Lord bless his people with peace!  Psalm 129

Heeding God’s voice results in blessings, but destruction comes when He is ignored or denied.

If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well.  But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king.  1 Samuel 12:14-15

As the prophet Samuel encouraged the people of Israel to obey God’s voice, so we are also enjoined to listen carefully.

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years.  Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’  As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”  Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.  But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.  As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”  Hebrews 3:7-15