The Voice of Truth

I love sports movies, but my all-time favorite is "Hoosiers." It might have something to do with my being a former Indiana high school basketball player, and the movie was filmed in the 80's when I was in college. One scene stood out in the movie to me. In one game, Hickory (the high school) was in need of a sub, and the coach didn't have anyone to put in the game except Ollie the manager. So coach put him in late in the game, and Ollie got fouled and had to go to the line for two free throws. The crowd was yelling, the opposing team was taunting, and Ollie's knees were shaking as he stepped to the line.

Throughout the history written in the Bible, men and women heard voices of opposition but chose to listen to the Voice of Truth. Let's look at several examples. What if Moses had listened to Pharaoh and all the grumblings of the Israelites as they traveled? What if Joshua had listened to those who said they only needed to go around Jericho six times? What if David listened to everyone who said he was too little, too young and too weak to defeat Goliath. And what if Esther had not been brave enough to go the King, her husband, and beg on behalf of her people? Surely the outcome of each situation would have been different, but all of them, and many more, listened to the Voice of Truth--the voice of God pouring truth into their lives. This Voice of Truth is still alive and well today.

Back to our story … Ollie stepped up to the line. And in the middle of the cries of opposition he nailed the first free throw. The other team called timeout to "ice" him. But during the timeout the coach said something important. He said that "after Ollie hits the free throw" they would run a certain defense. The coach was a voice of truth at that moment in Ollie's life. He stepped up and nailed the next free throw, and they won the game to advance on in their season.

The popular singing group Casting Crownssings of this Voice of Truth in a song by that title. One phrase in the song says it all: "Out of all the voices calling out to me I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth." We all have voices of opposition in our faith lives. Satan wants to see us fail, and he won't stop trying. He'll use many different strategies to keep you from growing in your faith. However, there is one voice that rings louder and truer than any voice I know: God's voice found especially in His Word and in prayer.