Have You Heard The Voice?

Have you seen the NBC show The Voice? If you have, you are (kind of) one up on me because I have not watched even one episode (at least not a complete episode). What I have watched however are quite a few YouTube compilations of the “best” auditions (at least in the opinion of those posting the YouTube videos).

One I recently watched is this one:

One of the interesting things about this particular compilation is all of the acts are groups. I believe they are all trios except for one. I had to Google this to be sure, but I believe the very first group up, A Girl Named Tom, (anyone else convinced that has to be a twist on A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash?) were the winners of the American competition of The Voice in 2021 and were the first trio to win. Kelley Clarkson, who seems to have quite a few winning teams on the show as a coach, practically begged the group to pick her as she pointed out she was the first to say she wanted them.

There is something completely captivating about a harmony. When voices come together in a harmony smoothly and perfectly on pitch, it immediately gets your attention. I just love harmonies and every so often when a particular set of voices join together to create a harmony that is so breathtaking, you just know there will never be a repeat of that sound again ever in human history.

Here are couple of my all-time favorites:

What is especially captivating about the Gaither video (besides the fact that I just love the song) is the way they build by adding and subtracting parts and different voices throughout the song. Who just doesn’t appreciate a good harmony?

A voice is a powerful thing. And when several voices come together in perfect harmony they are amplified and even more powerful. Voices can convey many different feelings and evoke many different emotions within us. They can touch lives, tear down lives, bring hope, or bring sorrow.

I don’t know about you, but my parents had a simple little saying they taught us when I was a child. You have probably heard it. “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me“. The idea was that when someone said something we did not like, when an insult was shouted at us, or an angry challenge was directed our way, that we should just ignore it and walk away. And while I understand the message that was trying to be conveyed, there is nothing further from the truth of “words will never hurt me“. The Holy Scriptures teach that words are really powerful and that we should be careful as to how we use them. And while I do believe that we are all individually responsible for how we receive words and what we do with them, that does not negate the fact the voice is a powerful thing and we had better use it responsibly.

When people do not use their voice in a way that glorifies God and the Lord Jesus Christ, I recognize that I can either allow that to rule my circumstances or I can take my hurt and pain and leave it at the foot of The Cross.

And I realize that there are people out there that will just insist that I cannot possibly know the pain they feel or the depths of despair they sink to whenever they hear a discouraging voice. I know that there are those people that want to believe that they, and they alone have felt the extreme depths of pain and despair and no one else understands what they are going through. All because of something someone said. All because of a voice out of harmony with their own.

And I’ll admit, whenever I hear this sentiment expressed by my friends, I am in disbelief and wonderment as to whether or not they have heard The Voice.

And I’m not talking about the NBC TV show here. I am talking about The Voice. The only Voice that matters. The Voice that is all powerful, in perfect harmony, and immediately demands your attention.

I am, of course, referring to The Voice of God. The Voice that was heard in Mark 1:11. Interesting isn’t it that 2,000 years ago, when people did not have Internet, or recording studios, or amplifiers, or any of the modern wonders you and I know that will enhance the voice, a large group of people, gathered together on the banks of a river (the Jordon River) all heard a Voice coming from Heaven.

That’s The Voice I’m interested in knowing whether or not you have heard. Have you heard The Voice from Heaven? I’ve had people tell me that God has spoken to them but let me tell you what I look for in identifying The Voice from Heaven.

The very first thing in identifying The Voice is that it immediately takes you to The Son. That is the person of Jesus Christ. If The Voice doesn’t foremost and immediately take you to the person of Jesus Christ, then I am immediately skeptical of the voice you heard. The second thing I look for in identifying The Voice is where the preeminence is placed. If The Voice doesn’t immediately take you to The Son and immediately shower The Son with LOVE (note that The Voice doesn’t just take you to The Son but takes you to the Beloved Son), then I am immediately skeptical of the voice you have heard. And the third thing I use in identifying The Voice is in knowing where the pleasure lies. If you tell me about the voice and your displeasure all in one sentence, I am immediately lost because I don’t think you are listening to The Voice of God.

There is ONE VOICE the world needs to hear today. The Voice that leads us to The Son, Jesus Christ, shows us His Love and reinforces that we are here for His Pleasure and not He for ours.

How about it? Have you heard The Voice? If not, I pray that you would today, and that you would respond to Jesus Christ. Because I believe that once you do, all other voices will be heard in a different light.