My Father's Voice

Recently I attended a conference in the mountains where nearly 500 men were in attendance. One morning, as I was enjoying my coffee and sitting out on a balcony overlooking the grounds of the camp, I was watching as a crowd of men made their way towards the amphitheater for our morning session.

In the midst of this large group of men, I heard my dad's voice through the crowd, as he was in attendance as well. I quickly surveyed the crowd from my vantage point above everyone, but I was unable to locate my dad. I know I heard him, and I know he was there, but I could not see him. You see, I know my father and because I know him I can recognize his voice even amidst the voices of dozens of other men.

It made me think of other men in attendance who aren't as fortunate. There are men who have never met their fathers. Not only do they not know them as a person, there is no way they could ever recognize the voice of their father even if he were screaming at them in a quiet room. I mean, they would hear it then, but they wouldn't know who it was that was yelling at them.

It then became obvious to me that our relationship with God is much the same. How well we know Him correlates directly with our ability to hear His voice. The closer we are to Him, the easier it is to hear Him. The more we know Him, the more we are able to listen to Him. If we don't know Him, we will be unable to distinguish his voice among the other voices we hear on a daily basis.

Need guidance on a big decision? Wondering if you should take that job? Need wisdom in dealing with a family problem or issues with coworkers? How can you ever expect to hear any answers if you aren't closely connected to Him?

You see, when I heard my dad's voice, he wasn't yelling. He wasn't screaming my name... he wasn't even talking about me. And he wasn't the only one talking, either. He was barely audible above the sound of the other voices of the other men walking in the same crowd. But I knew his voice. I could clearly distinguish it and pick it out of the crowd because I know him. Because of our history. Because he has taught me. Raised me. Scolded me. Fathered me. I know his voice.

The Father is speaking. Always. And I guess the question isn't really whether or not you can hear Him... but are you listening?