The Voice of God

Psalms 29
In this passage the voice of the Lord is described as, "powerful and full of majesty (vs. 4), breaks the cedars of Lebanon (vs. 5), flashes forth flames of fire (vs. 7), shakes the wilderness (vs. 8), and strips the forests bare (vs. 9)".  And yet we continually say we cannot hear his voice.  The voice that authored creation in Genesis, and shook the mountains in Exodus is undiscernable to us.  We say, "If only he would speak more clearly and louder then we would be able to hear and follow".  His voice already shakes mountains and flashes forth flames of fire, how much louder do we want him to speak?  If we cannot hear the voice that birthed creation then it is an indictment against us, not God.  We sit around and delay and debate, waiting to "hear his voice", trying to strain and strive to hear a voice that is described as stripping forests bare.  Does this not seem ridiculous and absurd?  Scripture does say that his voice is a "still, small voice" or a "small and gentle whisper"(I Kings 19:12), but it is also clearly heard (vs. 13).  Elijah immediately recognizes it and obeys, and so did the disciples all throughout the New Testament.  God, whether speaking in a small whisper or a mountain shaking thunder, is clearly heard and recognized.  Why do we not hear him then?  It is clearly because of something in us, not him.  Jesus said that it is his sheep, his actual, true people that hear his voice and recognize it (John 10:27).  Those who do not hear his voice evidence that they do not belong to him (John 10:26).  Today we see a whole generation of people, both religious and not, churched and unchurched, who are waiting to hear God's voice and never seem to, and think that this ok.  Christian and lost alike are ignorant of God's eternal voice, without distinction between the two.  We have accepted that not hearing his voice is really not that troublesome, and yet scripture says this is a serious problem.  Could it be that we do not hear his voice because we do not belong to him, as Jesus stated in John 10?  Or, perhaps because our hearts have grown so hard and calloused that we do not feel or discern? The writer of Hebrews tells us that some will hear the voice of the Lord and harden their hearts, as Israel did in the desert (Hebrews 3:12-19).  It was through the deceitfulness of sin that they were led astray and their ears and hearts closed to the voice of the Lord (vs. 13).  And they suffered these consequences for eternity (vs. 18-19), despite being his chosen people.  And Jesus warned that his voice will bring things to light and expose darkness within and this will cause some to run from this, not wanting their sinful deeds to be exposed, rather preferring their sin (John 3:19-21).  For God is only found by an undivided heart (Jeremiah 29:13, 14).  Have we preferred our worldliness and materialism to God's call to abandonment?  Have we chosen lukewarm faith and divided affections?  Because his voice will be a call to give up everything that you are and everything that you have for his sake (Luke 9, 14).  So now we must ask if we even want to hear his voice? God is screaming forth his voice to us, whether in flames of fire or gentle whispers.  The question is do we hear it?  Because it doesn't matter how loud or soft, those who are inclined to him unreservedly and belong to him will hear it, regardless.  Have we been deceived by sin?  Have we even come to know him, to know this voice?  Jesus said, "He who has ears, let him hear."  Do we have ears?  If we confess we do not really hear his voice then we have confessed grave issues that must be explored by the Holy Spirit.  Not hearing his voice is of utmost concern.  Being casual about this is to potentially play with eternal damnation.  If we are not hearing his voice, there is a vital reason why.  Do not be deceived by the lukewarm culture that downplays this and reassures us that it is of no consequence.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear.