Hear the Call This Instant!

Sound travels better over water. This is a fact. I am hearing impaired; I know this to be true. I can take out my hearing aids while spending a day on the lake with friends, or in a pool or a hot tub, and people can talk in regular voices and I hear them just fine. It’s kind of cool. But get us out of the water and back on dry land, and the words they are saying immediately become hard to discern. If I were into science, I could explain to you why air and water carry sound differently. All I know is that when land-locked and hearing aidless, I have to request that people speak louder, as though to their grandma.

Whether or not you’re hearing impaired, you’ve certainly experienced what it’s like to hear someone with crystal clarity, or to have their voice muffled or distorted. It’s frustrating when you can’t understand what is being communicated. Typically you can state your struggle, request that they repeat their words more clearly, and then you’re set. But what about when you try time and time again to ask for clarity, and the other person just doesn’t give it?

Have you ever had this problem when trying to discern the Lord’s calling on your life? It’s like standing on the edge of a waterless ocean, and you hear that He’s out there calling you toward something … but what? His voice is either distorted, muffled, or altogether lost. The more you ask for clarity, the more He seems content to let you wrestle with ambiguity.

What if God isn’t trying to frustrate you? What if He doesn’t want you to sit still and blame your inactivity on your hearing impairment? What if He wants you to move forward, toward his voice – even if you don’t know what exactly He is saying – in order to discover that discerning His call is more of an adventure than an audible line from His mouth to your ears?

“To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind.” Proverbs 8:4

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13