There's a whole lot of voices out there to listen to. Jesus said we know Him as our Shepherd and recognize His voice; therefore, we follow Him. In our minds, we can get tossed back and forth by every wind and wave, that is whatever noisy voice that comes our way. Maybe it's time to check in about our resolve and reasoning skills. Reading through Hebrews, it is mentioned multiple times, "Today, if you hear His voice, don't harden your hearts.". So, one key point is that we have a choice to follow a voice. Which will it be?
I was reminded of the story where the disciples were straining against the oars all night as they were trying to cross the lake. The storm must have been plenty noisy with the wind and the waves. When they saw a figure walking on the water, they immediately became afraid, thinking it was a ghost. Guess who? JC, of course! When we are in our storms, what are we looking for? Our we thinking negatively and fearing the worst? Why not have actual factual faith and trust God, knowing He is with us? Let's look for our Lord and Savior in these storms. Let's not only listen for His voice, but make a deliberate decision to follow it and it's truths.
The other day, I ate lunch with my Piglet at her school. I could hardly even hear above the noisy din of the excited and youthful crowd in the background. My ears would pick up on random bits from different characters spread throughout the room, so my mind was just bouncing back and forth. I was reminded of Jesus being woken up in the boat and calming the storm. His words are translated, "Enough!" or "Quiet!" or "Be still!" These are the same words in Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know I am God". "Hush!", He might say. Friends, that's what we need to say to our own minds when we are encountering a barrage of voices and confusing noises. With the power of God, may we silence all other voices, so we can clearly hear and be reminded of our Savior's voice of truth. We need to be strong in this, as this is one of the Devil's primary tactics. He is the author of confusion and fear. He loves to cast doubt on situations. He is constantly waging war on our belief and trust in God's goodness. Be tough. Kick him out of your head. Take on the mind of Christ and decide to walk in faith, not fear.
