Recognizing God?s Voice

In today?s gospel reading (Mk 6:1-6), we are told that people in His hometown synagogue are astonished by the teaching of Jesus. However, they proceed to question His credibility because they know Him as ?the carpenter?s Son?. Since this ?astonishing? teaching is coming from an ?ordinary? person, it is basically ignored.

This story makes me think about how many times I?ve done this very thing in my own life. I?ve overlooked some powerful messages from The Lord because they occurred within the context of my daily, ordinary life. Many times we look for the ?lightning bolt? from God only to miss His ?still small voice?. The great prophet Elijah almost made the same mistake, but finally recognized the whisper of The Lord?s voice (1 Kings 19:11-12).

We often have a preconceived idea of how The Lord should speak to us and what He will say. Sometimes this causes us to miss His message when He appears in a way that we didn?t expect. Many of the Israelites didn?t accept Jesus because He didn?t fit their image of the Savior. Two thousand years later, many of them are still waiting for the messiah who has already arrived.

Psalm 139 assures us that God is always with us. He is at work, school, our homes, outside, wherever we happen to be. Many times He will speak to us using the voices of the people who surround us. Sometimes He will speak silently through a sunrise or a gentle breeze. Starting today, try to see His presence in your daily life. In every person or situation you encounter, try to determine how God is present. It takes practice, but over time you?ll see Him clearly as you go about your daily business. Eventually, you?ll begin to “hear” His voice. It may be through other people or it may be through silent thoughts. If you struggle with this, don?t despair?ask Jesus for help and He will lead you.

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