Inside voice
Quiet
“For whatever reason, God never seems to shout when trying to get my attention. God always uses his ‘inside voice,’ as my mother used to call it. Shouting, and calling, and crying out, and throwing people off their horses is great stuff, but that’s not how I hear God. I hear God in a whisper; in a look; in a turn of the head; in a subtle expression on a face.”—Br. James Koester, Brother, Give Us a Word, Society of Saint John the Evangelist, Daily Email, SSJE.org, friends@ssje.org
The irony is that as we read from SSJE about God speaking to us in God’s inside voice, I am practicing preaching with all my might with my outside voice. My voice is soft. It is a legacy from my father, who was soft-spoken. It is a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing, as I talk to people and can more easily relate to them as a softer listener. But when I stand in the pulpit to preach the word of God or speak out to a group, I have always had difficulty projecting that message, even with suitable amplification. My husband always sits in the back of any congregation or meeting, giving me signs to increase my volume. I have spent years working with a fantastic speech pathologist but still have to push my voice. If someone has a hearing impairment, they may especially have difficulty hearing me.
My former rector took me on as a project to increase my volume. He let me read a prayer outside at a burial office as an “audition” to see if I had an outside voice. After that, I think he gave up on me! Yesterday I preached at a church without amplification. I felt as if I were shouting the entire time.
So, what is the point of all this regarding our relationship with God? First, I have become acutely aware of what an inside voice sounds like and the volume of my outside voice. My connection to God does indeed come through an inside voice, quietly slipping in. But, I also know we hear these soft messages when we least suspect God, usually in interruptions in our daily routine.
God seems to speak most clearly in Advent in an inside voice, while the world shouts more than ever in an outside voice mode.
I wonder, however, if God also speaks to us with an outside voice, and we just never hear it because we expect only the inside quiet connection.
Does God’s outside voice also speak at the least expected times by least expected people we rarely listen to or maybe don’t even want to listen to?
For the present, my best experience with God’s outside voice is in my dreams. For eventually, my dreams become louder, memorable, and messier if I ignore them.
Joanna joannaseibert.com
