Even before we are born, we hear voices and are comforted by the familiar voices of those we will meet all too soon. We know nothing much about them but one voice is special to us above others for it always seems to be with us whether we’re awake or asleep, the one who has carried us since our lives began. The love and knowledge of a mother is vastly greater than that of her unborn child. It is a voice to soothe us, to watch over us, to train us and lead us from birth towards maturity. Somehow, we just always knew that we could trust the voice. Even before we can speak and understand the language of the voice, we listen out for it. Once we are born, we discover whether our mother actually is safe, loving and good – sadly it is not always the case. Similarly, every human being has a vague recognition of a ‘greater voice’ and searches for it from sunrise to sunset. As the colours change in life’s short span, sometimes the voice seems closer and other times further away. For some, there are light bulb eureka moments but others just see splashes of colour and flashes of light.
- ‘Older and wiser voices can help you find the right path, if you are only willing to listen’ – Jimmy Buffett
- ‘God spoke to you by so many voices but you would not hear’ – James Joyce
- ‘The fact is that the learning process goes on, and so long as the voices are not stilled and the singers go on singing some of it gets through’ – Morris West
Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950) is the American physician-geneticist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. Known for his love of motorbikes and rock music, this intellectual chose to sideline voices that argued for the existence of God settling for the position of agnostic. However, a conversation with a hospital patient led him to question this and he investigated various faiths. Part of his journey was to read ‘Mere Christianity’ by C. S. Lewis but he is clear that people cannot accept God by reason and argument alone. After several years of deliberation, he finally chose to put faith in God following an experience in nature. Visiting the Cascade Mountains, he was so struck by the sight of a frozen waterfall that it removed his final resistance and led to a leap of faith the following morning.
- ‘I actually do not believe that there are any collisions between what I believe as a Christian, and what I know and have learned about as a scientist. I think there’s a broad perception that that’s the case, and that’s what scares many scientists away from a serious consideration of faith’ – Francis Collins
Many are the ways we can hear the voice. Whereas Joan of Arc seemed to hear them in church bells, William Wordsworth sensed a large mountain stirred his conscience whilst rowing a stolen boat out into the lake and the prophet Samuel was woken by it as a boy! Recognising the voice means first giving space to listen, away from pressures of routine and having an open ear. Elijah didn’t perceive the voice of God in earthquake, wind or fire but heard it in a gentle whisper. When Moses was on the run, he heard God speak to him from a burning bush. Saul (subsequently becoming Paul the Apostle) was hunting down followers of Christ for imprisonment and death when Jesus spoke to him in a blinding vision. Would you say you’re more likely to sense God speaking to you through nature as you watch the sea or see a storm, listening to music, reading the bible or seeing Christ at work through the life of a Christian friend?
- ‘Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it”’ – Isaiah 30:21
- ‘Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus’ – Mark 9:6-8
- ‘“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep … My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand”’ – John 10:14-15, 27-28
- ‘The Lord your God is with you; his power gives you victory. The Lord will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you’ – Zephaniah 3:17
David wrote many Psalms but number 139 speaks of how God knew him even when he was in his mother’s womb and he ends it with a call to God to ‘lead him in the way everlasting’. It was Jesus who warned people not to reject the voice of God brought to them by various prophets and ultimately by himself (see Matthew 21:33-45).
This voice can seem louder in times of crisis and as we get closer to the end of our lives. It certainly seems that people often call out to God in such moments as we feel a more urgent need of him then. No matter if life circumstances have pushed you further away or even derailed you, have the conversation while you can. The picture is cryptic a bit like the true message of Christmas – some will see it and hear God’s voice but others will miss it. Try asking God to speak to you – it’s called prayer!
Hear the voice of invitation as Stuart Townend sings:
