Devotional - September 25th, 2020

Music is one of those things many of us listen to, and I have written about music several times. But in music we learn a lot of things about ourselves and a lot of things about our Lord. There is something about singing scripture in praise and worship that moves many people.  There is a group called Casting Crowns and they have written a song called ‘The Voice of Truth’.  Here are some of the words.

Oh what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes to climb out of the boat I’m in, onto the crashing waves. To step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is, and He’s holding out His hand. But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me, reminding me of all the times I’ve tried and failed. The waves they keep telling me time and time again, Boy you’ll never win! And then this: But the voice of truth tells me a different story. The voice of truth says do not be afraid. The voice of truth says this is for my glory. Out of all the voices calling out to me I will choose to listen to the voice of truth.  This is followed by these words. Oh what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant…with just a sling and a stone. Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors, shaking in their armor, wishing they’d had the strength to stand. But the giant’s calling out my name and he laughs at me. Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed. The giant keeps on telling me time and time again Boy you’ll never win. But the voice of truth tells me a different story.

There is a lot of noise in our world right now. Social media has blown up and it is easy to get sucked in, reading post after post after post. There is noise from the right, left and center. There is even noise from those who just want the noise to go away. There is also noise from the evil one. He whispers in our ears, sometimes seemingly nonstop. You are not good enough. You are too slow, too stupid, too old, too young, too heavy, unqualified. You will never win. You won’t amount to anything. You will never be able to do this. Why even try. You cannot do this. This is the worst noise of all. Because like social media, the evil one is nonstop too. And the closer we try to draw to Jesus, the harder the evil one works to pry us away.

Sometimes in our lives we are in a boat that feels like it is being tossed by waves. And the waves could be any number of things. Years ago, I was on a ferry crossing the North Sea from Norfolk England to Bergen Norway. It was a 23-hour trip and the tossing of the waves was so bad many of us spent the night on deck in the cold and spray of the sea because it was too rough to go below decks. The waves just kept crashing. Life’s troubles feel like that sometimes. Bills never seem to stop coming, hard decisions have to be made regarding what we might need. Medical issues come at us, one after another and still another. Loneliness crashes like waves and so does fear. There are other times it feels like we are standing in front of a giant. Troubles seem insurmountable, fears loom, self-doubt overwhelms. Grief is crushing. Crashing waves make a bunch of noise. So, do knocking knees.

And then we hear the words God spoke to Joshua. Moses has just died and left Joshua in charge of the Israelites. They have wandered in the wilderness 40 years and Joshua has seen them at their best and at their worst. Moses has set the example for leading. Perhaps Joshua wants to run screaming into the dark of night. And then God speaks. Three times in the first nine verses of chapter one God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. He also reminds Joshua to not be afraid or dismayed. Why? “Because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” That is the promise. Waves might crash. Giants may stand in our way. The noise may feel like it is crushing us and none of this looks like it will end anytime soon.

Go back up and look at the refrain of the song again. But the voice of truth says do not be afraid. The voice of truth says this is for my glory. Sometimes God speaks in a still small voice. Sometimes we have to stop everything we are doing and sit and listen. God does not always shout over the dim. But His voice is the voice of truth. He will not deceive us like the evil one. He will not lead us astray. And whatever we are facing, in the end, God will get the glory. This is always about us drawing closer to Him. It is about leaning on Him, trusting Him and living in His will for us. It is not always easy. The good things never are.

There are many voices to listen to these days. Will we choose to listen to and believe the one true voice of truth?

In His grip
Pastor Matt W