Month: February 2021

The Voice and The Word

Published on by tinavila206 Comments

It was October 2020. I was in the driver’s seat of my mombile (van), waiting for my kids to be let out of school. The day was damp and wet. Leaves hadn’t yet started falling, but they were just beginning to change colours. The towering elder trees stretching their branches like a canopy across the roads surrounding the school are absolutely beautiful at that time of year.

I try to get to school a little early to snag a prime parking spot for a quick getaway, and also so I could pray and prepare my heart before the boys and I are reunited. On this particular fall day, my music streaming app started playing Voice of God.

I literally could not believe my ears…

So this week, I’m changing things up and starting the post with WHAT’S IN THE EARS because this song burst me open in the best way on that autumn day. I not only saw God in a different way, but also came to a new understanding of how I actually connect with Him. So I’m excited to share the insight I gleaned from that moment and how it’s changed me.

What’s in the Ears

Click here for lyrics!

Fair warning: God’s presence is heavy in this video. But don’t dismiss it! If you’ve watched footage of chicks passing out at rock concerts, or grown men foaming at the mouth over football, you already know that we, as people, can be moved by our passions. So just take it all in!

The song starts with Dante Bowe rattling off anything and everything under the sun. Putting into word pictures what God’s Voice is actually like in the real world. The crackle of a bonfire… children’s laughter…

The every day sounds of life that I believe are God’s gift to us.

Things that add colour and music to life. That make life worth living. Stuff that won’t make headlines. Just the simple and the beautiful. The quiet, mundane moments. But the ones that can make you smile and make you feel alive.

In those moments… God speaks in those moments.

NYC from the Hudson. Definitely heard God’s Voice here.

The first two verses and two choruses end with a variation of:

It’s just something I can’t explain,
but it makes me wanna cry…

And that’s the truth, y’all.

All this writing is my bumbling attempt at putting a few words together to convey who God is, who He is to me, and what hearing His Voice means in my life.

That’s what I love about this song. It’s not rich with theology, or heavy with scripture (which the nerd in me typically gravitate towards!), but it’s hard not to sense God’s presence as you listen. And it can make a grown girl cry.

The interlude with Steffany Gretzinger and Chandler Moore is just straight anointed. Gretzinger sings part of Holy Holy Holy at one point and it’s chilling. Moore pours this out:

I remembered that day
When He called my name
Nothing was the same (Voice of God)
Because of the Voice, yeah (It’s the Voice of God)
And everything was changed
I saw myself in a different way
Because of (Voice of God)
Yeah (It’s the voice of God)
Before there were so many noises
I made so many wrong choices listening to other voices
(Voice of God)
But now I hear (It’s the Voice of God)
And He is still speaking
He is still declaring
That He is the Voice
Yeah (It’s the Voice of God)
Creation responds
The wind still obeys
The Voice of God

emphasis added
My fav spot to hear Him

The Word

Soaking in this song all those months ago… I had a lightbulb moment thinking about God’s Voice and how we all hear Him differently. He doesn’t speak the same way to everyone. He made us all unique, and part of that is hearing Him uniquely. And that’s the beauty of the whole dang thing.

For me, God speaks through music, if that ain’t obvious! But also, through His Word. The things that jump off the pages of scripture, I can’t explain. The people in the Bible, the overall story. It feels like I’m reading my own life. That the words are directed at me and for me. I get it at an existential level. I am often brought to tears over a familiar passage as God shows me something new about Himself, or myself, or this precious world He created and how it all works together.

I know not everyone experiences this when reading the Bible. And though I believe that level of experiential reading is available to all of us, I also believe that the uniqueness of each person means that God uses different ways to connect with each of us.

Some other moments Bowes lists where God’s Voice can be heard:

  • ocean water (creation)
  • the laughter of a loved one (relational)
  • a choir singing hymns (worship)
  • the hush of a midnight hour (contemplative)
  • the final breath of a loved one passing (service)

This is just my interpretation of these beautiful moments:

  • You may hear God through His creation. And being in nature makes you come alive and you can’t explain, but it makes you wanna cry.
  • You may hear Him by connecting with other people. In religious terms we’d call that fellowship. But I think any relational moment with people who are good to you and can speak truth into your life can be a powerful Voice of God moment.
  • I already mentioned music, but it’s worth emphasizing because this is an entire post about hearing God through a song. Music has a way of connecting us to the One who is worthy of our praise. That’s why we call it worship.
  • For those of us who are less socially inclined, moments of quiet solitude can scream God’ Voice. That a moment in prayer isn’t just a desperate cry to the ceiling, but true dialogue in a contemplative moment.
  • The last one I’ll mention is one that inspires me so much. Serving others in their moment of need is such a beautiful opportunity to hear God’s Voice. I am so moved by the way someone feels so close to God by simply being there for someone who can do nothing to repay them. Simple acts of service are how we show God’s love to people, and He uses those opportunities to speak to us as we serve.

I left out any scripture reference intentionally this week to make a point. If you’ve read my blog before, you know I’m really into quoting God’s Word. And as I said earlier, it is my go-to way to connect with God. But there are so many more that didn’t even get mentioned on my limited list.

Pro tip: pick a translation of the Bible that keeps you engaged. A parallel Bible is a great way to get more out of your reading! Or try audio, like through the YouVersion app!

If you’re trying to hear God’s Voice, He WILL speak to you. He promises that in His Word (which happens to be my personal favourite). If you’re unfamiliar with the Bible, and looking for tips on where to start, please reach out to me!
And if you’re already connecting with God in other ways without even realizing it, then I couldn’t be more happy for you if this post was a lightbulb moment for you too!

In my darkest, ugliest, deepest despair, God has spoken to me, changing everything. Not audibly, but in those whispers only the depths can perceive. I pray the same for you.
How do you hear the Voice of God? And tell me, what do you think of this song?!
Send me a message or comment below!

The Fight for Peace

Published on by tinavila20Leave a comment

Before Covid and lockdowns, social distancing and hand sanitizer. Before quarantine and face masks, virtual school and flattening the curve.

Before any of that became a regular part of our everyday vernacular, I didn’t know what it truly means to fight for peace.

Weeks into the first lockdown, I wrote this and I still stand by it. But I’ve learnt a few things since then.

Above all, I’ve learnt to….

Fight for peace

I just love that phrase.

Partly because it’s a juxtaposition, and I’m always down for a good nerdy wordplay.

But also because I have felt its full manifestation in my life and in my home this past year like nothing else.

That virtual school life

I spent the early days of the pandemic scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, just taking it all in. The world as I knew it hadn’t imploded just yet, nor was it quite so divided, but boy did all that change quickly.

I found myself getting emotionally riled over not just articles, statuses, and videos… but the comment sections.

Oh, the comment sections.

I know how dramatic this sounds, but it felt like being transported to a war zone. Observing the chaos of hostility, I’d watch the comments, insults, accusations, slander… and from people I know!

I’d put my phone down and carry the emotional load of everything I’d just scrolled through, right into my home with my family.

By contrast, my home life was peaceful, and as serene as it can be with three young children. My husband was at peace; my children, content.

But I? I was an emotional wreck.

Losing my peace felt like handing out scrap flyers on a busy street corner.

God’s peace was His precious gift to me and my family in the middle of these unprecedented times and I was throwing it in the trash, replacing it with deep unrest in my spirit.

And it was affecting our home life.

Misunderstandings and arguments between husband and wife came easily, then. My children were tormented by a rash and volatile mother as I took my rising anxiety out on them.

Finally, I recognized what was happening: that by giving away my peace, I was allowing chaos and conflict in its stead.

Then, I recognized what I had to do: that for peace to reign in my home, I had to fight for it.

Bill Johnson says in Raising Giant-Killers, that an atmosphere of peace is an important building block of a healthy home. So one of my primary roles as a parent, is to make my home a haven for peace.

Raising Giant-Killers by Bill Johnson: 10/10 would recommend

Once I recognized that I was giving away peace rather than fighting for it, I knew I had to make some changes.

My Steps to Peace

  • I deleted the Facebook app off of my phone
  • I asked of my loved ones (my husband, family, and closest friends) to put me on a need-to-know basis regarding topics that were stealing my joy and peace

Google’s got the best explanation of a need-to-know basis: If you tell people something on a need-to-know basis, you only tell them the facts they need to know, at the time they need to know them, and nothing more.

Maybe it’s an ignorant, head-in-the-sand, borderline apathetic coping mechanism. But that’s the thing, we’re all trying our best to cope with what this past year has brought us. And by distancing myself from things that peak my interest in the moment, but cause me terrible unrest in the long run, I’m now able to better focus on the things that actually fill me with peace and better equip me to face my day with those right in front of me, rather than strangers on the other side of a screen.

I’m reminded of this exhortation from the Apostle Paul:

Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.

– Philippians 4:8

I don’t know about you, but it’s super hard for me to focus on any part of that lovely list when I’m filling my head instead with fear-inducing headlines, provocative status updates, or slanderous comment sections.

Quite honestly, it has been a lot of work! As the writer of Hebrews put it:

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

– Hebrews 12:11

It’s often hard to maintain the discipline of guarding my mind from sensationalized events and topics that rob me of peace. But it’s made all the difference in marriage and in parenting.

I still have a thousand hard moments and bad days, believe me. A dark and dreary January attested to that. But I’m certain it’d be a zillion without the discipline of fighting for peace and allowing the peace of God to guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7).

Fighting for peace?

Part of last year’s discipline was memorizing the book of James. (If you’re interested in memorizing scripture: Check out these tips!) While I was going through it, one particular verse stood out to me and hasn’t sat back down since. It reads:

Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

– James 3:18

With the word raise, my mind went instantly to raising children.

More than anything, I want to raise my children to be in right standing with God. That the righteousness of Jesus would cover them. And I acknowledge a big part of my role as their mother is to foster an environment where peace will reign.

I also love the TPT translation which says,

…and it always bears the beautiful harvest of righteousness! Good seeds of wisdom’s fruit will be planted with peaceful acts by those who cherish making peace.

– James 3:18

I have to ask myself:

Do I cherish making peace? Am I planting seeds of wisdom with acts of peace? Or do I allow fear and chaos to take root in the hearts of my loved ones, so that their actions and reactions are rooted in fear, rather than faith?

All your children will be taught by the Lord,
    and great will be their peace.
In righteousness you will be established:
Tyranny will be far from you;
    you will have nothing to fear.

– Isaiah 54:13-14

Who am I listening to? What is filling my ears, my thoughts?

“But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”

– Proverbs 1:33

Whatever I give my attention to, that’s what’s filling me up.

Put another way… you attract what you hunger for.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

– Matthew 5:6

Am I hungry for gossip? Drama? Controversy? Conspiracy? Slander? It is all soooooooo easily available to me. But it won’t fill me with peace. I have to fight against all that.

I have to fight for peace.

I sense God’s presence, leading, and direction through an inexplicable increase of peace in my spirit. And I will chase that high till the day I die. No amount of fame, approval, money, or worldly security can compare to the peace that surpasses logical understanding.

I invite you to taste and see how good the Lord really is!

Taste of His goodness; see how wonderful the Eternal truly is. Anyone who puts trust in Him will be blessed and comforted.

– Psalm 34:18

What’s in the Ears

I truly cannot think of a better song to capture the essence of what I hope my own words might across. *Listen with lyrics!

Has this post comforted, challenged, or even annoyed you? I’d love to know about it! Please comment below, or send me a message!