What Voice do You Hear?

A few weeks ago, I woke with a start in the middle of the night from one of those super-scary, way-too-real nightmares. I sat there in the dark, too afraid to move, questioning the reality or non-reality of the dream, experiencing pure fear. And I heard in my heart and soul what must have been angels singing, “But the voice of truth tells me a different story. The voice of truth says do not be afraid.” Thank you, Lord (and Casting Crowns) for this wonderful song. I immediately felt at peace, recognizing the dream as false. My fears were calmed. I drifted off to sleep, singing those lines over and over again.

I heard the whole song on the radio yesterday. Truthfully, I don’t know that I ever paid attention to all the lyrics. It was just one of those songs that played on the radio enough that the chorus was familiar and comforting. The verses hit a chord with me this time. The first verse:

Oh, what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And He's holding out his hand.

But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win,
You you'll never win.”

I wonder what lies we – as women, wives, moms, friends – are listening to these days. Lies that steal our faith and courage. Lies that poke at us and laugh at us. Lies that leave us shaking with fear, that leave us unable or unwilling to act.

- You’re not good enough.
- You can’t make a difference.
- You’re too busy.
- No one loves you, cares about you.
- You’ve messed up too much.
- You’re all alone.
- You need more (fill in the blank).
- Your opinion doesn’t matter.
- Your small contribution doesn’t matter.
- YOU don’t matter.

Lies. All lies. And there are so many more. What lies are you hearing? Satan is the Father of Lies. His desire is to trip us up, to stop us from looking to God, to remove us from God’s army of mighty warriors.

The chorus of the song:

But the Voice of truth tells me a different story.
The Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me,
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth.

The Voice of Truth is calling out.

- You are my child.
- I love you.
- My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
- I forgive you. Your debt is paid.
- I am all the strength you need.
- I will give you all you need.
- I am enough for you.
- I know you and care for you.
- YOU matter to ME.

Commit to the Lord today (and every day), “Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth.” I pray that as you go through your day you can discern the truths, God’s truths, and ignore all the rest.