So much Noice, So many Voices

John 10:1-5

  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

So much noise or racket, so many voices, how is one to know the voice of Jesus’ Spirit that lives within us? “All human evil comes from a single cause, man's inability to sit still in a room.”  (Blaise Pascal)  Is Pascal on to something, and if so it is not a new insight in that he lived in the 1600’s; but it is and has always been an issue of the heart.  We are told to “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 

And I must tell you that good old Blaise did not have the noise problem we have today, we are creatures of noise, and we are addicted to sound, and it is getting worse each new generation.  It was just reported that headphones can be deathly; “Of the 116 injuries covered in the published study, nearly 90 percent of the cases were in urban areas, and the majority were of individuals 30 years or younger. People wearing headphones turned up loud do not hear sirens, alarms or other auditory signals that indicate danger. Many of the injured people also were walking in dangerous areas to start with, such as on train tracks or in high-traffic areas.”  But it is not just young people, it’s also you and me, we get into our cars and turn on the radio, we walk into our homes and turn on the TV or music, yes, Blaise Pascal’s insight is more true today than in his life time, we have a problem with, “Be still and know that I am God.”

We live in a society that loves to point the finger to or at someone else for being the cause of the problem, and not to take responsibility for their actions, and this time I’m in agreement with them; someone is behind all this noise.  You will find the answer in John 10:10, and this enemy of your soul has a plan to keep you from being still, from hearing the quiet voice of God, and especially Christians, because without hearing the voice of the Spirit who lives in you, you will rely on self, and self listens to noise and does what pleases self.  The apostle Paul gave us this instruction; “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  To know the will of God, first we must want to know it, and then we must ask for ears to hear His voice and find a place that is without the noise, to listen to what the Spirit has to say.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice