Words.....

Matthew 5:2
And opening His mouth, He began to teach them, saying,......

Not a particular earth shattering verse, yet it caught my attention this morning as I was reading my Bible.
It's not so much the "what" of the verse as it is the "who".
Jesus.
It is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. I picture a beautiful, sunny day (why is it when we think of Jesus in the gospels, especially when he is teaching, it is always sunny?) Hills covered in golf-course type grass. Bright green and doesn't need mowing. There stands Jesus ready to address the crowd. He begins to speak and they listen.

What most fail to take in, is that the voice they are hearing is the same voice that spoke at creation. Speaking even before there were human ears to hear. "Let......There........Be.........Light!" And there was light.
The same voice that called to a dead man in a tomb......."Lazarus! Come forth!" and the surly bonds of death fell away and life returned to a man who'd been dead four days. Life brought back to a dead body by the sheer power of His words. That is some kind of voice.

It is the voice that comforts me when trouble comes. It is the assuring voice that reminds me of the promises of God, that they are still, even today, yes and amen. It is the voice of warning that pulls me back from places, people and things that would damage me and my relationship with God. It is the voice that instructs me as I read His word or listen to others who are teaching the truth of God. It is a familar voice that comes to during the night and brings dreams and words to instruct and encourage me for the days ahead. It is a voice that stirs my faith when what I see is beyond my ability or strength.

But, to me, some of the most important words Jesus ever spoke was from the cross. There at the end, knowing that everything had been fulfilled, Jesus cries out, "It is finished!" That cry was payment for my sin. Even though I was yet to be born, my sin-debt had provision made to cancel it. That cry, "It is finished!" rang down through the years and is still vibrating today with no lack of power to save or heal. What a voice!

Now that I have been saved, that same voice whispers inside of me. Directing me and guiding me through life daily. I don't always catch what he is saying for sometimes my emotions are so stirred that I miss it, but He never quits talking. I praise God for His voice and just as is written in Scripture, I pray for "ears to hear."
I can't wait until I stand before Jesus and I get to hear His audible voice for the first time. Not only the sound, but the tone and fullness. To actually hear him call my name....what an incredible time it will be.

God on you.....
mb