Last week I was standing in the church office in conversation with a few people. Above their voices and the ambient noise, I kept hearing something that caught my attention. It was a faint sound that reminded me of a cell phone ringing. For a moment I thought I was hearing things. I turned to Nancy, our office administrator, and said, “Do you hear that?” She said, “Yes, I hear it.” I didn’t even have to say what I was hearing! I was glad that I wasn’t losing my mind (at least not in that way). My curiosity was then heightened. If that noise is really there, what is it? Interestingly, the same thing happened again two days ago. Nancy must have seen the look of distracted bewilderment on my face, so she cut right to the chase; “Yes, I hear it too!” As it happens, the noise came from the wind outside entering and moving through exhaust vents in our building. Old buildings tend to rattle a bit. Thus, the mystery of the noise was solved.
What surprises me is that I heard the sound in the first place. It was unique enough that it caught the attention of at least two people. Still, with all of the other sounds going on, it seems unlikely that my ear would have tuned in to that one sound. For whatever reason, it was a sound that stood out among all other sounds. When I consider this, it makes me think that the season of Lent is intended to help us in just this way. With all of the “noise” that happens within our normal life, it can be difficult to hear God’s voice. The 46 days leading up to Easter call us to intentionally “dial in” to God’s voice. Few of us can say we are less busy now than at any other time of year. Few of us would say there is less activity or fewer people wanting your attention. Is it possible among all of the noise that our spiritual ears can still hear the distinct voice of God?
I believe God tries to speak to us. How God speaks to us is a good topic for another post. The question I pose here is, will we turn aside to listen when God speaks? The writer of Psalm 95 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…”. The writer of Hebrews quotes that passage three times. If the Creator of the universe desires to speak to us personally, it seems to me that listening would be a good response. Listening, though, requires eliminating the distracting noise around us. God may speak through Scripture, in prayer, through a friend, or directly to our hearts. I pray that our Lenten journey may help us to discern the voice of the Good Shepherd as he calls to his sheep.
Do you hear that? It may be the voice of the Lord.
See you along the winding path…
The Winding Path 