Because God said so, I can rest assured.

Are you confused? Are you struggling with a big life question? Do you wish you can figure out the answer to your problem out of all the voices telling you what you should do? Listening to so many voices just tend to confuse you more, doesn’t it? Well, let me tell you something. You only have to pick one voice to listen to - one voice that contains all the answers to all your questions. The challenge is to find the right voice.

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Finding the right voice
There is only one voice that matters – and that is God’s voice.

Do you have any idea how powerful God’s voice is?

Psalm 29 describes the power and majesty of the voice of God – it thunders over the mighty waters (v.3), it breaks the cedars into pieces (v.5); God’s voice strikes with flashes of lightning (v.7) and it twists the oaks and strips the forests bare (v.9). In the midst of all the chaos and turmoil, the voice of God can get through and give you peace. He “sits enthroned over the flood” (v.10) and will “bless his people with peace” (v.11).
If God’s voice is that powerful, imagine how powerful his words are.

"For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does…. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth… For he spoke and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm." (Psalm 33:4-9)

If by the very word of God the universe was created, then you can rest assured that one word from Him can change your life.

Because God said so, you can rest assured.

Listening to the right voice
“I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth,” says the song Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns. The song was able to perfectly illustrate the struggle of a righteous person faced with a big trial and his decision to listen and believe that one voice that contains all the answers to his problems.

If you are in a situation so deep that you think you can’t handle it, stop and listen to God.
If you are confused and at a crossroad in your life, stop and take directions from God.
If you are in pain and want to give up the fight, be still and get strength from God.
No matter what happens, don’t let it get to you.

(1) Win over the voice of your emotion. Offer praise to God. No matter what you feel, choose to rise above it and drown out that negative thought or feeling by praising God. Understand that you are not denying your problem; rather, you are choosing not to be dictated by it.

Take the example of the Psalmist as he wrote the following these words:

“I am in pain and distress… I will praise God’s name…” (Psalm 69:29-31)
“I have become a portent to many… but as for me, I will praise you more and more.” (Psalm 71:14)

In Psalm 33, the Psalmist also issued a call for the righteous to praise God. He even got so far as to say that it is fitting for the righteous to give praise to God (Psalm 33:1-4).

The righteous has plenty of reasons to praise God. Remind yourself of all the times God has been faithful to you. Do you keep a journal of all your prayer requests and answered prayers? Go over it and see if you don’t feel better right away, seeing how He has sustained you throughout your life.

The call to praise God springs forth from an awed heart because of the intensity of God’s love and the immensity of his goodness and faithfulness.

(2) Tune out the noise and tune in to the still, small voice. Incline your heart to the only voice that matters – God’s. Listen to what He is telling you. He will give you an answer, that’s for sure. He said so in His Word (Jeremiah 33:3; Psalm 91:15).

Others may ask, “Why can’t I hear God’s answer? I’ve asked Him a thousand times but I just can’t seem to hear him.”

You should know that God answers us differently than when He created the universe. Yes, His
voice is powerful enough to break cedars into pieces and strip the forests bare. But when He
answers us, He does so gently but surely. He does so in a still, small voice. That’s why we need
to know how to H.E.A.R. properly.

H – umble yourself before God. The first step to getting an answer is to get rid of pride and just start asking. Some people cannot even make it to this first step because they think they can do it on their own. That’s listening to their own voice, not God’s. To hear from God is to be humble enough to ask him for the answer.

E – xpect to hear from God. After we get over the asking part, we can now expect an answer from God. To expect an answer is to be actively waiting for it. This is important because if you are not expecting an answer, if you’re not actively waiting for it, you will surely miss it.

A – ctively search for the answer. God’s Word contains all the answers to our problems, all the answers to our questions. If you really want to know what God says regarding a certain matter, then look for it in His Word.

R – espond to the answer. For any communication to be successful, there must be a response to the message. If you ask God and expect an answer from Him, and when He gives you the answer, RESPOND to it. Do what it says. Otherwise, you didn’t really hear him at all.


Hearing the right voice
Imagine the effect it will bring to your life once you learn to tune in to the still, small voice.

First, you will have nothing to fear. God will always remind you of His promises when you are in tune with Him. No matter what happens, you can rest assured that everything will turn out for good because God will speak to you words of comfort and assurance.

Second, your plans will be in line with God’s plan for you. Psalm 33:10-11 tells us that the Lord destroys the plans and schemes of the nations but His plans will stand forever and his thoughts will never change. And then there’s Jeremiah 29:11 giving you an idea of how good God’s plans are for you. So if you know that God’s plans for you are the best, and then you are in tune to Him at all times, then you can be confident in making plans because you know that it is God who directs your every move.

“The steps of the righteous are ordered by God.” Psalm 37:23
“Trust in the Lord… and He will make your paths straight.” Prov. 3:5-6

Lastly, your success is definite. And with success, I mean being in the center of God’s will. Because that’s what true success is. It’s not measured by the size of your bank account, nor by the number of your achievements. Search the word and it is clear – true success is being in the center of God’s will (Psalm 33:12; Joshua 1:8; Proverbs 21:21).

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So whose voice will you listen to? Whose voice will you believe? Remember the story of Jairus (Luke 8:49-55)? Someone told him his daughter was dead. Jesus told him not to fear and “just believe.” Do you remember what happened next? Whose word did Jairus believe?

You got it. It’s Jesus’ word he took and no one else’s. At the end of the story, Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter back to life! The God in the Old Testament who created the universe, who was the same God in the New Testament who raised Jairus’ daughter back to life, is the same God today speaking to you.

Someone tells you, "Your sickness has no cure."
Jesus tells you, "I am your Healer."

Someone tells you, "You are laid off from your job."
Jesus tells you, "Don't worry. I will provide for you."
Someone tells you, "You're worth nothing."
Jesus tells you, "You are the apple of my eye; I knit you in your mother's womb; You are fearfully and wonderfully made."


In the end, it all boils down to this: Do you believe what God is telling you? If yes, only then can you honestly say that: Because God said so, I can rest assured.

- Zarah Lim