Sea of voices

Have you ever been at a large gathering, typically Sunday morning church service, and the entire congregation is reading scripture or repeating a prayer? I think most people are subconsciously listening to their own voice, thinking ‘I don’t like my voice’. I don’t like to hear my voice either. It doesn’t seem to blend in with everyone else’s. Maybe that’s how it is for everyone. But have you ever stopped to listen to all of the voices? The unison but at the same time the differences. The male voices and the female voices. The young voices and the old voices. It sounds awesome doesn’t it?

Do you ever wonder what God hears when he hears our voices? Can you imagine the number of voices he hears on a Sunday morning all around the world? It probably sounds like a sea of voices to him. That’s how I imagine it. A beautiful sea of voices.


But what do you say on the other days? What does God hear when you are not in church? Does he hear negative words and thoughts? Does he hear us ripping each other apart with our lips? Does he hear us ripping ourselves apart? Do the words that come out of our mouths Monday through Saturday match the words that come out on Sunday morning? Do we talk about love on Sunday but use a different set of four letter words on the other days?


Never thought about it? Unfortunately, it’s not something many of us think about on a regular basis. But we should. Now more than ever, we need to be strong in our faith. We need to have the right words and thoughts in our minds at all times. There is so much happening in our daily lives. There are things happening that we never dreamed would. There are wars and rumors of wars. More people around the world are lacking the basic necessities than ever. There is hatred and strife, lack of understanding and empathy, and fear.


But what would our lives, our voices be like, if we speak the way God wants us to? What would happen if we said positive things and remembered his promises? Promises like ‘And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.’ Deuteronomy 28:12-13. How about remembering God’s blessings on us instead of speaking negatively about ourselves?

What about saying and thinking positive things about people instead of thinking and assuming the worst? Like in Philippians 4:8, ‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.’ It’s not easy when people have mistreated us, especially when they have done so on purpose. There are times when we will have to dig deep for the right attitude, the right words, and the right thoughts. But dig deep we must. It will work out better for us in the end. It will be worth it.

I often say that this Christian life is not easy. Many people want us to stop believing the word of God. They want us to give up our beliefs and just blend in. Live and let live you know? Say whatever we want, live however we want, believe whatever we want. But how would our voices sound to God? Our voice may sound weird in our ears, but I believe it must sound like a beautiful addition to the sea of voices he hears? I want my voice to be a part of the sea of voices. How about you?

Are you serious?

Sometimes I think about the state of Christianity in the West.  Actually, I think about it a lot.  I may step on some toes, but I want us to take a personal accounting.  I get upset when Christians refuse to grow.  We actually feel we are OK. 

Recently I was listening to a show where a former terrorist who became a Christian, was talking about his faith in Christ.  He had become a Christian!  His face was concealed because he could be killed if he were recognized.  Do you understand the risk? They concealed his face because he could be killed! 

In the meantime, we continue to sit in our comfortable pews Sunday after Sunday, and we do not change.  We continue to keep ugliness, resentment, even hate, in our hearts.  We gossip, we start rumors, and we jostle for church position. All of this as we listen to the pastor tell us how a relationship with Christ is so important.  Seemingly not connecting the dots. 

There are Christian missionaries around the world, in very dangerous places, with their lives on the line daily.  Some of them are in jails around the world.  But we’re ok with straddling the fence, fitting in, jumping on bandwagons we have no business being on; only calling on God when we find ourselves in an emergency situation. 

How does God feel about this?  We will have to make a decision.  Not just an in the moment, sitting in the church pew decision, although that’s a start.  But a decision where we ask God to forgive us.  A decision where we tell him we believe and trust in him, and that we want to grow in him.  We can continue trying to fool ourselves that we are OK, because we live in a Christian nation with the greatest military on earth.  But none of that means anything, if we the Christians, are not praying for our country.  It means nothing if we are not praying for our military.  It means nothing if we refuse to grow in relationship with Christ.  It means nothing if we pray only when we have to.  And it means nothing if we continually straddle the fence. 

There is no earthly relationship where we can straddle the fence, reach out to the other person only when we need something; or just to use that person.  How long would such a relationship last before the other person asked us for an accounting, or just ended the ‘relationship’? I have one question: Are you serious?