The Still, Small Voice of Love
When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” Mark 3:21
Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, “Prove that you are a good person.”
Another voice says, “You’d better be ashamed of yourself.” There also is a voice that says, “Nobody really cares about you”, and one that says, “Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful.”
But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, “You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you.”
That’s the voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen. That’s what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us “my Beloved.”
—Henri J. M. Nouwen
Bread for the Journey
The voices that speak shame, fear, doubt, and discouragement speak often and loudly. They’re on blast. God’s voice of love and affirmation is a still, small voice. But here’s the thing, that still, small voice is never silenced. Our God has embodied His love in Jesus Christ and personified it for each believer in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Our challenge is to focus our attention on that voice over the cacophony of depressing and anxious lies swirling about. Who do you believe? The voices of this world are a lying lot. The voice of God is truth. As you pray today, listen for that voice that calls you Beloved! —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics