The Still Small Voice

I spent this afternoon in a very noisy coffee shop with a couple of friends. The coffee shop was having the toilet fixed and the sound of the drill was deafening.

However, despite the noise, we still managed to hear each other - mostly with the help of lip-reading. We had to sit close enough to hear and to read what each other was saying. To read their lips and their facial expressions too.

We often complain about not hearing God, or not being sure of what He's saying. Often His voice can be too easily drowned out in the deafening din of life - it can be lost to the metaphorical 'drills' of life.

But how often do we draw our chairs right up to Him - as we had to do in the coffee shop - to hear what it is that He wants to say to us? How often do we look into His face so that we can read His lips and hear what it is that He is saying?

The Bible describes God's voice as being the still, small voice amidst the thunderous roar of life:

"The Lord said [to Elijah], 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.' Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

[1 Kings 19:11-12 NIV]

God doesn't usually shout.

He whispers, so that we will draw our chairs up close to be near to Him and develop an intimacy with Him.

Face To Face

I love chatting to people, but there is nothing quite like talking face to face.  I often find myself saying, "I haven't seen you in ages!" even if I have spoken to someone on the phone recently, or have been texting or emailing them.

 

There is something about seeing someone face to face.

 

When we are face to face with someone, we can see their reactions.  We can read their thoughts and see their emotions.  We can hear the pauses in their conversation and the changing tone in their voices.  There is something different about being close enough to someone to look into their eyes.

 

It creates intimacy and allows for authenticity.  It's harder to pretend you're fine when someone can look into your eyes and see that you're not.

 

The Bible says that Moses enjoyed this privilege in speaking to God face to face:

"The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend."

[Exodus 33:11 NIV]

 

Often we can feel as though we couldn't look God in the face, because we are too sinful or ashamed or guilty.  We think that if He looked into our eyes, He would be disappointed.  But through Jesus, we can have a close and intimate relationship with God. 

 

We can talk to Him face to face.

 

Paul describes this beautifully in his letter to the Corinthians:

 

"God said, 'Light up the darkness!' and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful."

 

[2 Corinthians 4:6 MSG]

 

We see God's love for us when we gaze into the face of Christ. But we have to choose to spend time with Him, talking face to face.

 

And as we look into the face of Christ, we see and understand that God is not disappointed in us, or ashamed of us.  He is delighted in us and rejoices over us.

 

 

 

 

It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It

I was told the other day that I talk a lot with my hands.

We were at a training session about communication and how significant non-verbal features are.  Apparently 70% of what we say is non-verbal. 

Most of what we say isn't with words.

Sometimes we can spend ages thinking about the perfect way to phrase something or the best words to use to help someone to understand our points.  But what really matters is the way we say it.  The tone of our voice, the pace of our voice, the volume of our voice, our eye contact, our body language, our hand gestures...

It's the same when it comes to faith.  Most of what we say about what we believe is non-verbal.  It's in our lifestyles.  And other people look for these things.

We say it in the way we greet them, the way we treat them, the way we handle stress, the way we handle disappointment, the way we comfort others, the way we support others, the way we show kindness, the way we show grace, the way we forgive, the way we forget, the way we give away our love, the way we give away our money.

We say more with our lives than with our words.

What are you saying with your lifestyle?

"Treat everyone you meet with dignity.  Love your spiritual family.  Revere God.  Respect the government."

[1 Peter 2:17, MSG]

"Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity."

[Colossians 4:5, NLT]

I talk a lot with my hands.  But I hope that I talk a lot with my lifestyle too.