SLACKERBILLY

Hear our story. We are just "slackers" & "hillbillies" something to say!
Michelle Parsley - The Crafted Cup

Echo the Sound

Well, it is a sunny day here in Tennessee, something that always makes my heart very happy!! Yes, I know the rain is necessary for the growth of all the things we love, but who knew we’d still be feeling like we need an ark over a lawn sprinkler in the middle of June? 

Last year also seemed to be an overly rainy start to Spring and Summer as well, so could it be my memory that is failing rather than my internal rain gauge? 

Unfortunately, all that rain makes the grass take off as the temperatures do the same, and with that comes one thing, bunnies! (What, you thought I was going to say lawn mowing? Lol!)

At our house, yard critters are a serious problem, and the bunnies seem to be enemy number one. Not because my husband and I don’t care for their sweet droppings that our dogs find delicious, although that is a thing when you have three dogs – a very gross thing, at that! No, it’s because of the sound or SOUNDS should I say, that come out of them being spied only feet away from our home by our hound dog, Lizzie. 

Now, if you don’t own a hound, the bray they make is hard to describe. I would liken it to the on edge feeling you get when a tornado siren goes off, only the siren is in your house, not outside of it! This morning happened to be one of those mornings when that sound occurred, and oh my goodness, it’s a hard way to greet your day when that starts before 7:30 a.m. It echoes off the walls like a cannon firing, sending my whole body and very sensitive ears

into panic mode! 

However, it did get me to wondering – what would it be like to have the only echo you hear in your life be one of silence? I think of going to the beach, and how even on a very calm day, there is still the sound of gentle waves lapping on the shore. There are birds busily flittering about going after whatever little things they can see that I cannot. 

In the mountains, there are sounds there too, although I would have to say silence is much easier to find if you are truly in the mountains, away from humans and modern-day amenities. I love to sit there and hear nothing; it takes my breath away when the reality of my mortal existence sinks in because of the vastness of God's creation. 

But what if all we heard was silence? What if we couldn’t even hear the still small voice of God?

The book of Psalms is full of statements like, “Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.” (Psalms 27:7 NIV) and “Hear me, O Lord, and listen to the voice of my adversaries.” (Jeremiah 18:19 ESV) and lastly, “Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!” (Psalms 143:1 ESV). 

What if those prayers were never met with an answer? What if all there ever was in response to our cries was silence?

Sometimes, in our search for solutions, we feel like God does not answer, maybe even giving us a feeling there is an ocean of silence between ourselves and God. However, we were not meant to understand His delay, His not yet, or even understand that His timing is always best. You see, I have spent many a day wondering if God hears me, if He truly hears my cries. 

I am reminded by John 10:27 ESV, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me,” as well as Mark 4:12 ESV, “Surely you have spoken in my ears, and I have heard the sound of your words.” He hears me, and He does not answer me in echoes of silence, but in the still small voice. 

I am forever grateful for a God who pursues me, even in the silence. Make today a great one and tell others that they are loved and valued. Until next blog...

Hire one of the slackerbilly partners or listen to a podcast or read a blog!

Copyright © 2024 Slacker Billy. All rights reserved.
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram