All too frequently, news reports are filled with accounts of tragedy, natural disaster, and subsequent heartache. When you listen to what the reporters are saying they will use a variety of terms to describe the horrendous scenes before our eyes. They will talk of “tragedy,” “destruction,” “upheaval,” and “crisis.” And sometimes a common word in the vocabulary of crisis is the word “mayhem.” In my mind the term pictures voices that are loud. Screams can be heard as confusion is painted on every face. Everybody seems to be talking, but no one knows exactly what to do. That’s what “mayhem” is like—lots of noise and a ton of confusion.
For a lot of people (including those reading this blog) every day feels a little like…well, it feels like mayhem! Parents are telling the children to hurry up and get ready for school. Spouses tell one another about phone calls and appointments that need to be made. And well-meaning friends are “suggesting” that we should take a certain course of action. To top it all off, inner voices coming from the heart inform us of our guilt and foolish behavior. It feels all too much like our own little encounter with “mayhem.”
Who has been raising a voice and hurling thoughts and demands in your direction? Whoever the culprit might be, stop and listen to someone worth hearing. According to the writer of Hebrews, God has been speaking over and over again to His people. In Hebrews 1:1 we are told that God spoke in the past “at different times and in different ways.” Or to put it in other terms, God spoke through angels, prophets, visions, and on occasion through animals (cf. Numbers 22:28). But the writer to the Hebrews makes it very clear that God has provided a superior voice, a supreme representative of the will and ways of God. His name is Jesus, and the writer states, “In these last days, (God) has spoken to us by His Son.”
Our text goes on to mention several things about this messenger, the Son of God. We are told that He is the creator and owner of everything (1:2). This Jesus is the radiance and reflection of God (1:3a). In fact, He is the One who holds everything together. He keeps our world and our lives from blowing apart (1:3b). And in the midst of our sin and shortcomings, the Son has purified our lives from the consequences of our sin and its power (1:3c). And to make his point very clear, the writer tells us that Jesus sits at the right hand of God and has a rank that is higher than anyone or anything that exists (1:3d-4). The writer places truth upon truth to remind us of an extremely important principle: IN A WORLD OF CONFLICTING VOICES, WE MUST LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF JESUS!
But how…how can we hear His voice? It won’t be easy, but there is a place where you can start—every day! You will want to find a place where you can be alone! Then open your Bible and begin reading. [You might want to consider reading through Hebrews, where I want to focus my thoughts over the next several posts.] According to Luke 24:27 every scripture ultimately reveals our need for Jesus, as well as how to live under His rule and reign. So read God’s Word and LISTEN. Listen for the true and comforting words that God has for you. This will be the way of peace and guidance in a world that all too frequently feels like…mayhem.
