SCRIPTURE: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 NIV
THOUGHT: I’m on a bit of a Ricky Skaggs kick, I admit. He’s been at this music thing for 53 years now, is a member of 6 different “halls of fame,” and has 15 Grammy’s on the shelf. Fred and I heard him with Kentucky Thunder first at a benefit for the people devastated by the path of EF4 tornadoes last December. Then, we had an opportunity to catch them at a show in Knoxville’s Bijou Theater a couple weeks ago. “Wow” is too small a word for the sound coming off that stage – not due to a great speaker system, due to great musicians. They could have been unplugged and it would have been glorious. But there was more. Ricky giving God the glory, lyrics giving God the glory, testimony from two band members, a guest appearance by a former member of his band that brought the house down and gave God the glory. But this song – Shepherd’s Voice – this song has made its way into my heart forever.
Today’s promise falls in the middle of a long chapter of gloom for the people of Israel who just won’t listen to the God of the Universe, the God who has called and delivered and shaped and given them special dispensation as his envoys, a golden opportunity to show off the power and glory and strength and kindness that belong to God. Still, in the midst of the 33-verse tragedy, we find the hope of verse 21. The promise that God will not stop speaking, and will in fact restore the ears of those with what my Mom might have called “God deafness.”
Jesus, the great shepherd, once said this: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me (Jn. 10:27).” That’s the voice I long to hear in my ear, and Ricky sings it best. What I’m listening for / through all the noise / a whisper in my ear / the shepherd’s voice.
SONG: Shepherd’s Voice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX1EKVQZchc&list=OLAK5uy_lzawfqw7nGeTt3qyxE8s1ULG-Bs_EDrGM&index=6
PRAYER: Oh God, there is so much noise in this world, and way too often I’m listening to it. Help me still my life and heart so I can hear the voice I so desperately need and love.
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
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