The voice I am most familiar with is the voice I will listen to.
This is why it’s imperative that we become familiar with Jesus’ voice.
And this is why it’s so critical that the Holy Spirit reintroduce us to Jesus again.
A voice is only strange when I’m unfamiliar with it.
When it’s strange, I won’t follow it.
If I am lost in the woods, I’m going to follow the voice that I’m familiar with to lead me out… not the voice of someone I’ve never heard before.
Why?
Because it’s a matter of trust.
Sadly, too many of us are still familiar the voices that accompany the lies, the circumstances of life, and the worries of the world.
Such things seek to choke the good news that we’ve heard.
It’s the tale of the tape.
On one hand, we have the many wonderful promises made to us by God and the good news of the Gospel.
On the other hand, we have the banter we’ve heard our whole lives — voices that have caused us to see ourselves with the wrong eyes, believe the wrong things, and fall headlong into things like despair, anxiety, and hopelessness.
In most cases, I believe we find ourselves vacillating between these two voices that fight over our allegiance to them.
We’re stuck between two reports.
This was the case with a synagogue official named Jairus. You can read about his story in Mark 5:21-24; 35-43.
It is my belief that at some point in time, Jairus heard about all the wonderful and amazing things Jesus was doing. Why else would he have sought Jesus out to come and lay His hands on his dying daughter?
It’s apparent what Jairus believed, because He told Jesus that if He were to lay His hands on her, she would get well.
Somewhere, somehow… Jairus heard a similar report.
What he had heard shaped his faith in what Jesus could do for his own daughter.
While on the way to where she lay, they get word that she had died.
It’s at this very moment in the story that Jairus is left standing between two reports: 1.) Jesus is healing those with various diseases and 2.) Your daughter has died.
Jesus turns to Jairus and says, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”
It’s fear that seeks to rob us of the seed that once caused us to believe and have hope.
But even when our worst fears come to pass, it’s not the end of the story.
Jesus raised this little girl back to life.
The news of Jairus’ daughter’s death, however, sought to steal the good news he heard about Jesus.
Anxiety wants to choke what we’ve heard.
But Jairus’ story shows that there is never an occasion where we shouldn’t be believing.
The issue is familiarity.
Let’s face it…
We are all familiar with reports of death.
Bad news consistently echos between our ears and floods our minds.
Lies often seem to be easier to believe than the truth.
This is why familiarity matters.
I cannot afford to be more familiar with the world’s report than Jesus’ report.
Familiarity with the report of Jesus will make the report of the world sound strange.
The only way that we can increase in familiarity with what Jesus has to say is to shut yourself away and seek Him.
We need to be a people who immerse themselves in their bibles.
Let the Holy Spirit reintroduce Him to you.
Set your mind on things above.
What you meditate on matters.
What you entertain is important.
We must know Him. There is no other option.
The more we know Him, the more we adopt His side of the story and the less likely it will be for us to follow has become unfamiliar as a result.
- Brian Connolly, Faith Like Birds Ministries
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