Finding my voice

Finding my voice...

This has been a topic of a number of conversations in the last couple of weeks.  I think we all struggle with the desire to be heard, we all struggle with finding a way to articulate what we are thinking and feeling.  I don't think this is unique to our time and culture.  Frequently in the Bible the cry of "Hear my" is found

Psalm 39:12  

   Hear my prayer, O Lord,

and give ear to my cry;

hold not your peace at my tears!

For I am a sojourner with you, 

a guest, like all my fathers.

Psalm 130:2  

   O Lord, hear my voice! 

Let your ears be attentive 

to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

We want to be heard by those around us.  We want to be heard by God.  Sometimes we want affirmation that what we have to say is important.  Sometimes we just want our existence acknowledged.  When we feel like we are not being heard, haven't been heard for a looooong time, we say "I have to find my voice".  But I think we are born with a voice.  And yes, we have a life long struggle of learning how to use it, but it is there.  So the problem isn't finding your voice.  The problem is that others aren't responding to your voice.  You're not dumb, they are deaf.  We can't control that, we can't change that.  We are responsible for what we say, how we say it.  For me verbal communication has always been difficult.  I struggle to slow the stream of thoughts to be able to articulate it well.  But when I sit to write or type, the words flow.  It may have something to do with my being a visual person.  So when something is important to me, to most effectively communicate it, I tend to use the written word.  Finding the way I can most clearly share what is in my head and heart and doing it, is all I can do.  It ends there.  I cannot make others listen.  

Thankfully we each have people in our lives who do listen, who can hear us.

And God always hears us.

Micah 7:7   

   But as for me,

I will look to the Lord;

I will wait for the God of my salvation;

my God will hear me.  

One of my favorite songs right now is on the new Indelible Grace IV CD;  Wake Thy Slumbering Children.  Its called "Hear Our Prayer".  The words are the cry of my heart, the music is powerful.

Hear Our Prayer (The Litany Song) Verse 1

When we come O Christ to Thee,

when we bow adoring knee

Hear our prayer, hear our cry!

By the victory and strife, 

by the merits of your life

Hear our prayer, hear our cry!

Oh by all the pains and woe, 

suffered once for man below

Listen to our cry -- hear our sacred litany!

To listen to the whole song go to  www.igracemusic.com/ig5/

So I think more than "finding our voice" we need to practice using our voice.  AND we need to give to others what we desire most, listen to their voice.