The Still Small Voice

We have heard much of the Still Small Voice, we have heard much of the listening attitude, the re­ceptive mode. We have all waited for that VOICE, we have all longed for it, and we have all sought for it, but in vain. It has not spoken. It has been the elusive thing which was fraught with uncer­tainty.  No sooner did it speak, or we thought it spoke, than came the doubt as to whether it was the still small voice or the whisperings of mortal mind. And why has this been so evasive?   We are told that it shall speak to us and say “this is the way go thou in it,” or “turn to the right or left, etc., etc” ; yet the promise has not been fulfilled so far as we are concerned. Why is this?

When you seek diligently, when you delve deep into mysteries, when you try to force it through long repetition, then you are displaying one of two things. Either there is an uncertainty that the voice does exist or else you fear that it will not find you — ­notice the word fear — and in your fear you repeat formulas, you pray beseechingly, you beg the voice to speak, but the voice remains silent. 

No voice is hoard above the voice of fear and her twin sister doubt. Prayer that is beseeching, that is repetition, that is fearful is of no avail. The very thing you wished to hear is speaking constantly, but with your effort to hear it you are making so much mental noise that it cannot be heard. 

This is not a theory, a play on words; it is the actual fact of the case. The denizen of mortal mind clamoring keep up such a racket that there is no key of your mind in tune with the Divine. We have a very clear example of this given to us today in the concrete. Take the radio, you may tune into one station or another by the slight adjusting of a little dial. Another instrument in the next room may be picking up a concert very inferior to the one you are receiving. Both of you have the same sets, the same apparatus, yet you are attuned differently. The operator turns the dial quietly and slowly and suddenly a burst of glorious music fills the room; the quiet of the room is suddenly made vibrant with the music. With another slight turn he can pick up another class of music, a lecture, or opera. Suddenly it dawns upon us that the very room which we live in is filled with a million voices, is crammed full of music, is packed tight with messages, but the operator of the instrument decides which of these shall have the floor. 

It is interesting to note that without the aid of this little instrument we hear nothing of the music and harmony that is all about us, in our very homes. “Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard the glories that God has prepared for them that love the Lord.”  

Then in our own case we get precisely the station that we tune in with.   If we tune in with Truth we hear the vibrant message of strength, health and happiness. If we cut in on the mortal mind strata we get the unhappiness, vice and poverty of the world. Some of us get our tuning instruments locked so tight in one pitch that we cannot receive anything but the troubles of the world. Such a person is a disciple of the tragedy of living. He will tell you that life is a tragedy, that man is on the hunt for man, that poverty is the wolf forever at the door, that all a man does is pass thru succes­sive stages of fear; and he can prove it to you just as the man who tunes in to harmony can prove to you that all is harmony and happiness. 

This wonderful instrument over which we are sole custodian, this wonderful receiving set which is ours, is not subject to the limitations of the radio but is open to unlimited possibilities. 

We need but turn about, adjust the thinking, to be instantly in connection with the heavenly concert that we desire. When you find things going “dead wrong” then you must first completely reverse the process. You must right yourself mentally, even though your receiving set is screaming error so loudly that the whole house hears it. You reverse the thing, you cut into a new circuit. You will pro­bably experience some confusion in coming from the utter extremity of error into harmony, but this is just a clearing away of the mental debris, and by setting your instrument to a higher level pre­sently, as the din of mortal mind dies away, a sweet strain of harmony will come to you. You will find that reversing the process is not a difficult thing to do. Just take a common sense attitude towards it, as you would in mathematics, do not re­hash and flay yourself mentally for half an hour. Having made a statement that the reverse of the lie is the truth, you are then open to back this argument up by “Ye shall decree a thing and it shall come to pass”. Take the Bible at its word, the promises therein are all kept and fulfilled when we accept them at face value. Decree the thing, cast out the evil thought and decree “This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise”-this very instant you are in Paradise, if you but decree it.  

The fear thought that a miracle or instantaneous demonstration could not take place with you is brushed aside just as you erase a wrong figure in mathematics. Just relax, let go, and accept God at His word; it is the most glorious feeling in the world-“Cast your burdens on the Lord,” abandon yourself to His Love, and just listen with a wide awake mind, and the still small voice will not only speak to you, but it will come unto you and be your teacher, your guide, your protector, and you can summon it instantly, in any place, at any time, and find out the right course to pursue. 

Let us rejoice, the simplicity of Truth has come down to earth. No wonder Christ said “Suffer little children to come unto me,” he knew that their ears were not dull and that their minds were not filled with conjectures drawn from material conclusions. He knew that they accepted that which was told to them as a fact. 

Have you ever thought of the child faith, how it begets according to its faith. Just recall how long Santa Claus remained a reality for you if you want to see an example of what faith will do even on a purely material plane. Your parents told you there was a Santa Claus and that he was coming, and he never failed to come, and he continued to come until some other child told you or your curiosity got the better of you and you started reasoning things out and found out that it was impossible for him to come, and so he stopped coming. Just as soon as you found out in your mind that there was no Santa Claus, just that soon did he stop coming. You were not intelligent enough to realize that Santa Claus was just the material name for the giver of gifts, that Santa was a reality. “No,” you said, “impossible, it cannot be done,” and so you destroyed your Santa.

 This is the point: that so long as you have the absolute faith of the child, so long as you take God at His word, and do not try to see how he can possibly do the things he promises; just that long are you going to be abundantly cared for in every way. Do not try to figure out how Santa Claus can come down the small chimney, do not try to figure out how he can cover the whole world and stop at every house in one night, for when you start to figuring these things out according to sense testimony they instantly seem impossible. Underlying it all is the fact that God has infinite ways to bless and help mankind that man knows nothing of, that he can­not dream of, and that just as in the case of Santa, He visits all the houses because the spirit of Love and the Giver is infinite, and fills all space, and has infinite ways to provide, so that the universal Giver is everywhere present at all times.

 This is the way it is with God. Little children do not doubt Him, take Him at His word, accept His promises, turn about and just reverse the sense testimony and do not wonder how, when, or where the truth is going to be manifested; just decree the thing and let it come to pass. When you have the childlike attitude, the pure faith of your thought will open up your connection with the still small voice, which in reality is very close at hand, for it is “the Father within you,” with whom you are one, and with whom you have constant contact, and you will hear the word spoken directly to you. 

Gain simplicity. I entreat, you to get away from creed, rules and rituals, of ways and means, and just turn to His promises, and with the attitude of “Father, I believe,” just accept the beautiful promises just as you did the Santa Claus promise, and it shall be unto you according to your faith. 

Whenever you seem to be in the swamp of de­spair just “be still and know that I am God,” be still and know that God, absolute Good, is ALL; in this way you will tune in with the Infinite and you will hear the still small voice saying: “Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Could anything be more wonderful, could any message be more pleasing, could any promise be sweeter? And remember that His promises are fulfilled, they are filled full of substance for you. “In­cline your ear,” “Ye shall seek me and find we when ye search for me with all you heart.” Another promise. When you seek with the heart, it is with feeling and faith, it is not with the cold intellect of the brain or the reasoning of mortal minds. It is the simplicity and faith of the child.  

Suppose you make a practice of getting in tune with the Infinite and letting your instrument stay set at that pitch.  Get into the Kingdom of Heaven and stay in it. It is easy, it is simple, it is the present possibility of every right thinking person in the world; for right thinking is the Kingdom of Harmony, Heaven, and nothing can keep you out as long as you think right. No doors are closed against you, but remember you must enter by the door.  

And remember that the door to your mind is always open, if you are a careless door keeper and do not keep watch you cannot tell what vicious thoughts will creep in and crowd out the good. You cannot tell what vicious messages you may receive over your radio because you are not watching it carefully enough. So be a door keeper who shows himself approved, and you will live, and move, and have your being right in Paradise here and now and the glorious music of the Still Small Voice will be your constant guide.

 

 Walter C. Lanyon