Psalms 24, 29,8,84; Jeremiah 1:1-10; Corinthians 3:11-23: Mark 3:31-4:9
"...The voice of the Lord is upon the waters.......
...The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice...
...The voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor...
...The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees...
...The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire...
...The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness....
...The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare..."
How often do we ask, whether and how God speaks to us? Or do we find ourselves speaking to Him and expecting Him to listen: Praying, seeking, asking, petitioning. When He speaks to us, do we fail to listen, turn away, ignore? Do we have enough space in our consciousness to hear the "still small voice", or "the wind", or the call from God to move forward on the path He requests of us?
I have always been moved by the stories of listening to His voice: as when Isaiah says "send me", when Moses submits after first denying his abilities to lead the chosen out of Egypt; when Mary accepts her blessed calling without hesitation; when the fishermen put down their nets to follow Jesus. Then there was Jonah, the "refusnik" and Zechariah who doubts the voice and loses his as a result. The one I have always loved the most is in the opening verses of the Book of Jeremiah where he tells of his encounter with the Lord where He tells Jeremiah "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah says, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth." But the Lord says, "whatever I command you shall speak...be not afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.." and reaches forward and gently touches his mouth saying, "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth".
May we all, this day, listen to His voice, in spite of our youth, or age, or lack of talent, or busyness, or inclination to ignore it.
Kathleen
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