The Voice in the Wilderness

Stillness settles on the dark water's surface. Scrubby undergrowth competes to fill space among the cypress trees soaring toward the light. A whisper rustles on the wind. It is the voice of the Creator beckoning us, through the witness of nature, to discover Him. The voice in the wilderness is calling.

This voice has called throughout the ages. In Eden, it spoke with beautiful perfection. Yet the sound fell on ears tuned to another voice with corrupt intentions. Deception clothed this false voice, separating the human race from the truth. Ever after, we searched with eyes shadowed by the darkness of rebellion and self-love. But the true voice continues to call. We are lost. We hunger for the light. We fill our ears, but are dull to His whisper.

Then came the shout! John the Baptist prophesied as a voice in the wilderness to prepare the world for His coming. Some listened to this voice’s message as chidings echoed from a long past lost first love.

Then He came, the voice incarnate, Jesus the creator. He was and is the light. As Ruler and Creator of all that is, he healed the sick, calmed the storm, and raised the dead. Surely no one could deny His authoritative voice. Yet, in our evil pretensions, we sought to silence the voice. We traded His life for our temporary desires. We would not accept the message of His loving voice. We crucified Him.

Alas, even the death of the universe Creator could not stop the voice. The voice's plan was a purposeful, sacrificial death followed by resurrection. He rose from the stillness of death to make a path for us back to Him in the light of a perfect Eden in heaven. All who choose to call upon His forgiving voice, cast aside the burden of sinful choices and turn to follow His voice alone out of the wilderness of sin, will walk in the freedom of His light-filled path. Those who follow Him closely learn His voice so that they evade the deception of counterfeits.

Long ago, the Israelites chose to listen to another voice even though they were miraculously freed by the Creator from slavery in Egypt and then given a prosperous kingdom. As a result, God cast them into the wilderness and scattered their seed among the nations (Psalms 106: 24-27). The voice choice determines not only the path but also its destination. “If they hear and serve Him: they shall end their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures” (Job 36:11).

Others either willfully or neglectfully ignore the voice. Nevertheless, they are subject to the voice’s message. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). “And the Lord will cause His voice of authority to be heard. And the descending of His arm to be seen, and in the flame of a consuming fire, in cloudburst, downpour and hailstones” (Isaiah 30:30).
According to Hebrews 1:3, all things are upheld by the word of His power. So creation is existentially dependent upon the omnipotent voice of the Creator. God has caused His voice to be heard. Have you listened?
“Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices…” says Isaiah 42:11. God has let creation speak. But since it has no voice, it is His voice and it is His message. So God’s voice speaks through His creation, the voice in the wilderness.
“The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness..,” Psalm 29:8. There is more to wilderness occurrences than just natural events like earthquakes and windstorms. The Creator has chosen to make the voice of His glory resonate through His creation. “Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that goes from His mouth. Under the whole heaven He lets it loose, and His lightning to the ends of the earth” (Job 37: 2-3).
The voice in the wilderness may reverberate with the booming, overwhelming voice of a thunderstorm. Yet it can also tiptoe on the permeate softness of a gentle fog. In either event, His grace-filled voice today offers a permanent refuge from the storm that is to come. Will you enter His refuge?
Throughout the eons of time, the voice of creation has been etched upon its foundation, hinged onto its framework and scattered throughout its spangled dome. This voice has been His indelible mark upon His creation¬- never to be erased. It wants access to the heart and soul of each individual person, created in His image. Whether the location is the huge Okefenokee Swamp or a small roadside park, those who have not yet seared their conscience will be able to hear and respond to creation’s signature, the voice in the wilderness.