"Sweet Is Thy Voice"

(A repeat from 2009)

"Let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice... He shall hear my voice" (Song of Solomon 2:14; Psalm 55:17).


There are voices we love to hear, voices whose sound warms our hearts with happiness, comfort, assurance, communion, and love.

There are voices God loves to hear, voices whose sound warms His heart with joy as the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ graces the prayers of sons and daughters adopted into His heavenly family. Such voices are yours and mine. "God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Galatians 4:6).

This is a hard truth to understand and assimilate into our consciousness. We cannot physically see God's response to our words. Even more, we may have a sense that we have too often brought displeasure to Him by our failures, and by the too frequent neglect of prayer that many believers perceive as their greatest spiritual weakness. "Perhaps my voice was sweet to Him long ago," we may sadly mourn. "But not anymore."

On the contrary, the Bible reveals that precious are the utterances offered from souls keenly aware of their unworthiness to voice even a word toward Heaven. "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit" (Psalm 34:18). "He delighteth in mercy" declared the prophet, and if we could physically see the response of God to our prayers in times of both faithfulness and waywardness, glad welcome would grace the scene (Micah 7:18). "I will arise and go unto my father, and will say unto him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him" (Luke 15:18-20).

We rightly consider the blessed effects of prayer in our own hearts. Less often do we consider the blessed effects of prayer in God's heart. Fewer considerations are more vital for born again believers in the Lord Jesus. His heart has known much pain, sorrow, and grief from the human race. If our voice brings sweetness to such a heart, then may our voices be heard! Who can understand such a thing, that creatures such as ourselves possess the capacity to bless One so beyond who and what we are? Such a wonder trancends understanding, but not faith, and not the love of Christ directed to us, and dwelling in us (Romans 5:5). Indeed, those voices sweet to us sound forth from hearts whom we love. It is no different with God.


"The prayer of the upright is His delight."
(Proverbs 15:8)