On a Friday night in October, we were watching our two grandsons. After reading a bedtime story and tucking in bed Ben, our three and half year old grandson, I set about getting his baby brother Luke to fall asleep. As Luke began to rub his eyes, I knew he was ready. I tried to rock him to sleep, but it didn’t help. I walked with him, I sang to him, and I held him lovingly. Nothing would work. His papa tried to walk with him and rock him with no success. Not one to want to bother his parents who were on a dinner date, I decided to make a quick phone call to see if he could be teething. When his mama answered, I put the phone on speaker so both his papa and I could hear what she had to say. In his papa’s arms, he immediately stopped crying when he heard his mama’s voice. We knew at that point he was just missing his mama and not in any serious pain. They were already on their way home so when they arrived fifteen minutes later, she was able to rock the exhausted baby and lay him down. As I reflected on the immediate reaction of Luke when he heard his mama’s voice, I thought of my reactions when I hear God speak to me. Do I stop crying? Do I listen? Do I find comfort in His calming voice? Do I recognize His voice? Luke knew his mama’s voice because he spends almost all of his waking moments around her. What about me? Do I spend quality time with God so I can recognize His voice? After that insightful night, I resolved to spend more time with Him so I would be more prepared to hear His voice and receive His comfort and joy.

Father God, thank you for Your voice which brings comfort and joy to our weary and worried souls. Amen.