| Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back. God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. |
| —Job 37:2-5 |
Children can usually tell what a parent or teacher wants, merely by listening to the volume and timbre of the voice speaking. They know a playful voice, a stern voice, an angry voice, and the loving comfort and reassurance of a caring voice.
In human terms and with my human ears, I would love to hear the voice of God. In various places in Scripture, we read about the different expressions of God’s tones. I can only imagine the power and majesty of His voice.
In the very beginning of creation, I try to picture the way the whole formless waste took notice of the resounding order, as recorded in Genesis 1:3:
“Let there be light!”
We read about the roar of that same voice—the voice of the Creator—in Psalm 29:3-9:
The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars: … The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert … The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.
Do you think that God used His powerful voice when He identified Jesus at Christ’s baptism with the words found in Matthew 3:17?
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Those words were again used in Matthew 17:5 at the Transfiguration of Jesus, when God spoke.
The Gospel writers also note that Jesus’ last words from the cross came as a “loud voice” and we read those last words in John 19:30:
“It is finished.”
At the moment that Jesus had cried out, Matthew tells us in Matthew 27:51 that:
“… the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”
Was ever a voice more powerful?
Yet, God does not always use this kind of tone when He speaks. In the account found in 1 Kings 19—the story of Elijah—we read that after the noise of the powerful windstorm, the rumble of the earthquake, and the roar of the firestorm, God spoke with a “still small voice” using a comforting and reassuring tone, like that of parent or mentor.
In Zephaniah 3:17, we read:
The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.
In John 10:2-5 we read of the beautiful relationship between Jesus and His people. He connected with these chosen ones like a Shepherd connects with his flock. They are known to each other by their voices.
The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.
When you hear the sound of thunder, may it remind you of the power of our God over all creation. When you experience the terror of some emotional hurricane, earthquake, or fire in your life, and then know God’s comforting words to you regarding what you have experienced, may it remind you that God is always present overseeing what happens to you.
And, when you know God as your personal shepherd, confirmed deep in your spirit by the voice with which He leads you, be at peace, knowing that you can rely on that beautiful voice of authority and the deepest love there ever has been, or ever will be. Praise Him!
