The Other Voice
Greetings and good morning, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series
where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years,
the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them
with you. This morning we seek to understand the meaning of the other voice.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Other Voice
"Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man." "Give ye ear, and hear my
voice; hearken, and hear my speech." Proverbs, Chapter 8, Verse 4 and Isaiah, Chapter 28,
Verse 23.
Brothers and sisters, can spiritual progress be made in the throes of pain and suffering? Can spiritual
values and meanings be extracted from a mind that is wracked with depression and torn by
confusion? Can the spirit triumph against the emotional frailties of the self? Can the love of the
heavenly Father through his son, Jesus, be realized when all the doors of material comfort are
slammed shut? Can the mercy of the Father be applied then? Can grace take over when the self has
gone as far as it can go? Can faith with its priceless values of hope be vindicated?
In the minds and souls of our selves, amidst the attitudes, purposes, desires, and goals there are two
voices. There is the voice that cries out in desperation when confronted with pain and suffering; the
voice that screams in the midst of the suffocating blanket of depression. There is the voice that cries
out to abandon the ship of the good fight when overwhelmed by the waves of confusion. It can see
no way to clear the skies of the soul of the clouds of uncertainty. It gave its best shot of materialistic
and moral effort, and now it is tired and weary- and wonders why it should continue with this cruel
joke of living. This is the voice that wonders whether or not God's love and his mercy are just
philosophical constructs manufactured by the mind in a futile attempt to comfort itself. This is the
voice that cries out that grace is a cruel delusion in the face of despair. This is the voice of the
temporal material self, the voice that faithfully portrays the temporal and immediate barometer of
the self. It has at its disposal the past and the present, but not the future, for it always cries, "Who can
know the future?" As far as it can tell, the future will be just like today, a journey into misery. Such
a voice is devoid of hope. This is the voice of despair.
The other voice is not loud or boisterous; it is not overwhelming in its volume. It does not demand
to be heard but nevertheless speaks in a quiet and persistent tone. It is the voice of faith and hope,
the quiet broadcast of the Father of love and mercy. It always suggests patience, that things will get
better. It reminds us that the time in the storms of life always appear much longer than they actually
are because of the intensity of the storm. It reminds us that the storm is short lived; it won't exist
more than a lifetime.
The other voice is the sure guide through the throes of pain and suffering, the way through
depression and confusion. It is the way from the self to the divine self. It is the voice of assurance
and it can be such a voice because from the beginning it is a victor. It has already seen into the future
and knows the outcome. It is the voice from eternity. It is the voice of love and mercy that
confidently and quietly says, "fear not for I am one with you." It is the voice that emphatically states
that spiritual values and meanings are being extracted from the storms of life. It is the voice that
selects trials and tribulations to reveal divine truth, beauty, and goodness which are concealed within
them. The voice of eternity does not cause the storms of life but utilizes them for its eternal purpose
and is the partner of the self in mastering them.
It is the voice that insists that we master the storms of life by submitting to them, accepting them.
Only in this way can spiritual values and meaning be extracted. But this voice assures the self that
the priceless values of truth, beauty, and goodness are forever secure. Not a single drop of the
precious waters of meaning are lost or diminished in the least, for spiritual values and meanings are
indestructible and eternally secured within the eternal and indestructible voice. The other voice is
the voice of applied love, mercy and grace.
Now that we recognize the eternal voice, how is it that the voice of despair functions among the
realities of temporal life? Does it have a value and purpose and can it be unified with the eternal
voice? When the voice of self submits to the eternal voice, there is unification. When the self
submits to the purpose of the eternal voice, then all the eternal qualities of the eternal voice become
available. The self understands that though it must pass through all the experiences that are a part
of its temporal life, and must eventually return back to the dust from which it emerged, it grasps the
spiritual reality that it will survive. In its survival all the values and meanings that it has recognized
as being true, beautiful, and good will survive also.
Such a life is surcharged with hope in the midst of pain and suffering. Though pain may persist
through the night, joy comes in the morning. The confusion of the moment will be swallowed up in
the clarity of the eternal vision. In the midst of depression, the spirit will eventually rise above the
shackles of disappointments. It knows that the temporal defeats are no more than a staging ground
for eternal victories. Such a self overshadowed by the eternal voice and infused with spiritual power
cries that God is good and merciful.
Such a voice through grace has transformed temporal goals into eternal ones. Now unified, the self
now realizes its spiritual invincibility and rests eternally afloat upon the seas of life by the power of
the eternal voice. Far from being pulled down by the weight of life, such a one rises high upon the
wings of faith and reveals in his life the Father's character and the son's mercy not because the
crushing difficulties of material life have been removed but in spite of them.
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of the other voice. We hope you find
something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day. Until next time, this
is Dr. James Perry.
J
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
The Other Voice
