Did you know that we only hear the actual voice of God in two places in the New Testament? The first was at the Jordan when Jesus was baptized. God’s voice came down from the heavens: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. In the Transfiguration, as described in today’s Gospel, we again heard God’s voice: “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.” Listen to Him.

But listening is not always easy to do, is it? We want to be in control of our lives and of everything we do. There are times when God’s voice is contrary to our plans. That presents a big challenge for us. For example, having a nightly drink with co-workers sounds pretty enticing. But God would tell you to go home to the family, wouldn’t He? There are so many circumstances we could show. Think about poor Abraham in today’s reading from Genesis. God asked him to do the unthinkable. He asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son. This reading is very difficult for us to wrap our heads around. Who would ever sacrifice a child? Well, it was not uncommon in Abraham’s day. Pagans did practice human sacrifice at times. But to demand this of Abraham was extreme. You will remember that Abraham and Sarah had all but given up on having a child. Miraculously God granted him a son which he named Isaac. The important message in this story is that Abraham listened to God and that he trusted God. As a reward for this trust, a messenger prevented the sacrifice just in the nick of time. Abraham’s story is one of “faith against all odds”.

Thankfully, we will never be asked to choose like Abraham did. But there will be challenges to face and difficult choices to be made during our lives. The important message today is that no matter what you are going through….listen for God’s voice. Cultivate some quiet time during your day for prayer. Lent is a good time to get into the habit of daily prayer. Abraham cried out “Here I am Lord”. Let this be our answer as well when God speaks to us. Surrender and trust in the goodness of God.