Hearken to His Voice

By Rachel Yowell

Oh, that today you would hearken to His voice! Psalm 95:7

I’m not sure why, but out of everything we’ve ever recited from the Common Book of Prayer, this line is what sticks out to me the most. For the life of me, I can’t remember Thanks be to God, alleluia! Alleluia! but I can remember this verse. Hearken to His voice. Oh, that today that is what you would do: hearken to His voice. Today. I think there is a part of my life that the Lord is using it to speak into.

Among numerous other thoughts, one that has been on my mind recently is why God doesn’t tell us clearly what He wants us to do, and what His will for us is. Why doesn’t He give us a blatant, obtrusive sign that tells us what to do with our lives, what direction to go, what His plan for us is. If I just knew, without a shadow of a doubt what exactly He wanted me to do and how and where, I’ll do it! Why isn’t it that clear? Why is it uncomfortable, and dare I say even frustrating at times? Freedom. I think that’s the answer – freedom. Freedom is what we all want (freedom to make decisions, freedom to be ourselves, etc.) The funny thing is, I think maybe too much freedom scares us. How dare God let us have the freedom to make choices! What a funny thought. If the answer was clear, cut and dry, I don’t think I would seek the Lord and His heart nearly as much as I would if I actually had to rely on Him and place my trust in Him. If a clear answer is what I’m seeking the most, I’ve missed the point completely, even if my intentions for knowing the answer are good. And because God loves us so and actually cares for us, He gives us the freedom to choose to love Him. He gave us the freedom to choose Him in every choice we make. I think God loves adventure. He is all about the journey. And that is exactly what this is. Making decisions about our future and discerning what the Lord’s will for our lives are takes us on a journey where we get to lean into the Lord, listen, and enjoy the ride. I think this adventure takes us deeper into the heart of God and discovering more about Him. It allows us to sit in His presence. What’s cool is that while I’m sitting here trying to figure out life, God already knows what is going to happen – He has known for a long time! I have missed the point because I have desired knowing the answer more than knowing God more deeply and desiring Him above all else. God wants us to enjoy Him and He wants us to enjoy the journey. One thing I know for sure is I am called to love people. There are times I don’t always feel like it, and there are plenty of times that I don’t do such a great job of it, but I know that nothing makes my heart beat faster, nothing draws me closer to Jesus than the thought of glorifying God through loving people. My question for next year is how and in what setting I will love people. While I get so caught up in asking what His will for my future is, I should hearken to His voice today, and ask what His will is for me today, right now. Oh, that today you would hearken to His voice! How sweet that is. I am taking these next few months to enjoy the journey with God. I’m thankful for the freedom to love Him and to fall more in love with Him along the journey.