The Small Little Voice That Changes Your Night
It never fails. The middle of the night. That tiny little voice at the door to my bedroom. It has a variety of things it says, “Daddy, I had a bad dream“, “Daddy, I’m thirsty”, “Daddy, I need to go to the bathroom”, “Daddy, I can’t go to sleep”. In a sense, it doesn’t matter what is said. That little voice changes the course of my night.
Sometimes I try to ignore that little voice. Sometimes I tell that little voice to go back to bed. Sometimes I try to get my wife to answer that little voice. Sometimes I get upset at that little voice. And, occasionally, I am overwhelmed with sympathy and love for the one behind that small little voice.
Is It Hard To Hear?
There are times when I have a hard time hearing that small little voice. (Like times when I am exhausted, when I desire sleep above everything else or when there is enough other noise to drown it out.) And sometimes I need a little prodding. (Like times when my wife has to tell me there is a voice at the door or when the voice has to nudge me awake.) But, eventually, I hear it.
I just have to listen.
I have to set aside my desires for a moment and be willing to hear, and respond, to that small little voice.
God’s Small Little Voice
We are told that God will often speak to us in a small little voice. I wish that I could hear His small little voice as well as I can hear the small little voice of my child.
Although, sometimes, when I am quiet enough, and when I am still enough, I seem to know what that small little voice is saying even if my ears have not heard a thing.
Did I Really Hear Something?
This is the challenge. There are times when there is not an audible sound; but, I know that I heard something. When those times come, I have to trust what I have “not heard”.
The Small Voice
Just like the small little voice of my child, the small little voice of God will change the course of my night. Sometimes by a little. Sometimes by a lot.
I really should listen.
One small voice. The voice of a child. The voice of God. And when we listen…the difference a small voice can make.
Question: Is it easy or hard for you to hear that small little voice – either one, your child’s or God’s?
9 Comments to “The Small Little Voice That Changes Your Night”
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Great post…and I think it is hard to hear God’s small voice if we are not in tune with Him.
That’s true. So, what is your number one thing to do to stay in tune?
I think there are many things…
1.Reading the Word
2.Praying
3.Worship (just grabbing my guitar and playing worship songs)
4. Good friends
Those are just a few…
And then wrap all of those with some sort of consistency…
This article ahceievd exactly what I wanted it to achieve.
You mentioned that you wished that you could hear God’s voice like you hear the voice of your child. I agree. I wish that too. Not to explain it away or justify it, but I think we miss it because we hear what we are listening for. We hear what we want to hear. Oh sure, sometimes we really want to hear God’s voice, but let’s face reality: we are fallen. We are sinful, and Christ referred to that as adulterous.
I don’t want to be that way. It just seems that sometimes I can’t even help it. I don’t intend to not hear God’s voice, I just get so caught up in MY life, and MY stuff, and MY way that I stop paying attention. And then I have to kick myself, repent, and get back on track again, only to see myself wander off in another direction.
I think Brandon’s point in another comment is a good one. We have to stay in tune to stay on track. And that requires consistency.
Thanks for a great post!
It’s interesting how we hear what we want to hear a lot of the time. Our mind-set even affects how we perceive what we read and how we perceive the circumstances around us. It is a challenge to get through all of that to see what God wants us to see, hear what God wants us to hear and know what God wants us to know.
Being proactive and staying in tune I think is key.
Thanks for the comments – they really add to the story.
I love this, man. Learning to listen to that voice has been such a transformative part of my adult life. Ironically, I’m relearning how to be a child again.
Thanks Jeff! It is amazing what happens when we do listen. Taking that time to be in tune with God reaches into every part of our lives – from direction on tough issues, to comfort in times of pain, and even to inspiration in creative things.