A few years after my dad died, my sister shared with me a voice mail that she had kept of his. As she began to play the recording, my heart literally leapt as I heard the voice of my father for the first time in years. It was as if he had never left and in my mind I became that of a boy listening to the strong voice of his father. You see, few things in this life have the command as that of a father's voice. If you were lucky enough to grow up in a good home with an engaged dad, the safest place to be was under his roof. With his voice, he teaches, preaches, catches, protects, admonishes, encourages, loves and heals. His voice is the calm in the chaos, the harbor in the storm, and the light in a dark place.
I have walked with the Lord for over 20 years and in that time, my life has changed drastically. What was once a cocky, lost kid has been softened by the voice of his Heavenly Father. I have never doubted His faithfulness, but here I am at this season doubting His goodness. I don't know how I got to this point, or why; but I find myself longing to be reassured that He is not this distant puppet master in they sky pulling the strings of my life without care or concern for what matters to me.
I picture Jesus as this warm, caring inviting man whom I could talk about anything with. Shoot some hoops, catch some fish or have over to dinner. Yet I see God as this disappointed, distant and disconnected deity. You see the noise of life and the lies of the enemy want me to believe that God is no good. He doesn't have the time or the inclination to give two hoots about me or my lot. I don't have the answer yet for this dilemma but as I type this, my eyes drift back up to the top of this page where I described my earthly father.
God the Father as described in Scripture is everything my earthly father was and more. As a matter of fact, He is everything my dad could not be. His voice teaches, preaches, catches, protects, admonishes, encourages, loves, heals and saves. My dad could never save me from myself, but God can and did through Christ.
To hear the voice of the Father, one must be settled. One must be quiet. God is not in the wind, the earthquake or the fire but He is in the whisper (I Kings 19:11) My challenge to you and me is to turn off the comfort of noise and learn to hear the voice of the Father. He doesn't compete, He doesn't yell, and yet His voice is the most powerful thing in all of creation.