# 102 Maybe It Was Just Thunder

Joh 5:37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 "But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.

It’s not that God’s voice has never been heard. His voice boomed from Mount Sinai when He handed down the Ten Commandments: "Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.' (Dt 4:10)

So the people gathered, and “the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice. (Dt 4:12)

They heard His voice but did not see His form, yet they still went off and fashioned forms and carved images and worshiped them in spite of His specific instructions to never do such a thing! You have to wonder, “How could they forget such an event? “The booming voice of God was soon replaced with the hissing whisper of Satan, “Did God really say?”

And the voice of God was supplanted by doubt and you know, “maybe that was just thunder we heard?” In Joh 12:28,29 we read,  "Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." 29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."

And once again we see people trying to explain away a miracle given for their sake, once again ignoring the witness of God. What’s the problem here? The parable of the sower is very instructive here. Some hear the Word of God and others just don’t. Either the devil snatches it away with doubt, or the Word is received but then cast aside when the going gets rough, or it gets choked out by the cares of this world.

The key is properly prepared and tended soil. The soil is the heart of man, and it receives or hears the Word of God when it has been broken by repentance and maintained by daily contrition over sins.

It is this soil that hears the voice of God and produces fruit "But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Mt 13:8)

There is still another time the audible voice of God was heard in Scripture. It was on the Mount of Transfiguration.  Peter, James, and John were with Jesus and “behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"

 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.” (Mt 17:5,6)

It was AFTER they heard the voice that they fell on their faces out of fear! God’s voice, (the Bible) when read correctly ought to inspire a holy fear in all of us! A holy fear that produces godly sorrow over our sins.

But this voice of God does not leave us in holy fear. There is a way out of fear and into peace and that way is Jesus. Look what happened to Peter, James, and John next: Mt 17:7 “But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."

Tremble at the holy voice of God, then turn to Jesus, “Hear Him! He is God’s beloved Son, and you become a treasured child of God through faith in Him!