Judith 16: 13 - 14

I will sing a new song to my God. O Lord, great are you and glorious, marvelous in power and unsurpassable. Let your every creature serve you; for you spoke, and they were made. You sent forth your spirit, and it created them; no one can resist your voice.

Meditation

In Judith's hymn of deliverance above she says that no one can resist the voice of God. Is this still true today? Maybe that was so way back then but today many are tuned into the reality show, “The Voice” where talented people are given the chance to have their voices heard in song, hoping to create a name for themselves. In fact we live in a society where we are constantly hearing voices, coming from all directions. Everyone wants his or her own voice and opinion to be heard. Finding silence is like looking for a needle in a haystack. We may be created in God's image but our voices are nothing like His! 

In the story of The Creation, God's voice created mankind and the world:

“Then God said: Let there be light … Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation …Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. (Genesis Chapter One)

Much later on, in the Gospel, Jesus called each Apostle by his name to come follow Him and do the will of His Father. Instantly, each dropped everything they were doing to follow Him. They couldn't resist the voice of Jesus, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Mark 1:17). The Bible isn't just a story about the past. It is the living word, always constant but ever changing. It is the life of each of us, yesterday, today and tomorrow. The same passage touches us differently each time we read or listen to it. 

Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper that any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. (Hebrews 4: 12 - 13)

Hearing and listening to the voice of God is a tedious task even for those who believe and want to follow His will everyday. Our heroine, Judith, a beautiful widow, put her trust in God, and then decided to seduce and behead the Assyrian general, Holofernes, who had besieged her home town. It is a story of God's will to deliver His people from foreign might (evil). Judith listened to the voice of God and did something extraordinary that no one expected.  

 Meet the Challenge

The Bible is God's voice speaking to us through the prophets, the Holy Spirit and Jesus. The instructions for us couldn't be any clearer, "Listen to Him"!! 

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27). "Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him! (Luke 9:35)

You could answer, "I'm listening, but I hear nothing! He never speaks to me!" How can you develop a listening heart to hear God's voice? Remember God wants to give you direction in your life. It's His way of expressing how much He loves you. He only wants what's best for you. He never said it would be easy. Ask yourself the following question,

"How much time do you spend everyday in silence, after reading the Bible or praying, where you just listen with your heart?" 

 God also speaks to us through other people, sometimes people we don't even like. He speaks to us through situations, circumstances, and trying times. You may receive the same message over and over again because He wants to get your attention. He speaks to us through nature, His creation, but we have to be observant.   

You know when God is speaking to you, because you can feel it in your heart. He speaks with authority but His voice can be a whisper. He speaks clearly and gets straight to the point. What He says may clash with you as it's the exact opposite of what you expected or wanted to hear. You want Him to do what you asked for, but many times He has a different plan. It boils down to one thing, TRUST! Do you trust God enough to do what He is asking of you? Do you truly believe that He knows what is best for you?

Let's Pray

Lord, today I'm going to try and sit here in silence for 15 minutes and just listen to You. I'm not going to say a word or tell You I don't agree. Give me the grace of accepting all that You tell me. Help me to follow Your will and live the life that You want for me. Holy Spirit help me to feel in my heart that it is the voice of God, my Savior that I'm hearing and not the voice of the one who divides. Help me to be able to do this little exercise of silence everyday from now on. Thank you Jesus for showing me how. Amen.

Let's Praise Him

Let's listen to "Word of God Speak" by Mercy Me!