One night, while my wife and I were
mid-conversation, the sound of my son's cries caught our attention. Of course,
due to the affect a child's tears have upon the heart of a father, I
immediately stopped what I was doing and went to my son.
Picking him
up, I wrapped him in my arms - intending to
comfort him. I already knew the reason for which he was crying out for my
attention, but he continued to cry inconsolably. As he continued wail and
scream, I began to whisper, "Asher... Asher. I am right here; I have you.
It is alright, Asher. I am here... Asher." Despite my gentle whispers, and
my best efforts to comfort my son with my
presence, he persisted to yell and howl - unable to hear my whispers over the sound of his own voice. I
desperately wanted my beloved child to hear my voice, and know that I was
there!
As I continued to whisper my child's
name, I heard God whisper to my soul, "How often have you done the
same?" This made me realize that I have done the same thing - over and
over again. I began to wonder how often
I, in crying out for the Father's attention, failed to hear the Most High
whisper my name. Perhaps, we do the same thing; we drown out the sound of
God’s voice with the vociferous dissonance of our cries and one-sided prayers. How
often does our Heavenly Father whisper our names – and attempt to comfort us
with His presence – and yet we fail to notice?
Often, we rest
comfortably in arms of our Heavenly Father, yet we are content to keep our eyes
closed to His presence and ignore the whispers of His voice. Let us hear the
whispers; let us attune our hearts to the gentle voice of our Father. No matter
what we are going through, God remains near His children! Though we feel like
fussing and complaining, let us take comfort and find peace in the Presence of
God – for He is always there and He calls us by name.
