God’s Voice Amidst the Crowd

I am always amazed at crowded events.

A dad can say something in the middle of a sea of dads, and somehow his kids immediately turn their heads. They know that voice. Out of all the noise, all the conversations, all the distractions, they recognize the one voice that matters to them.

Jesus said it this way:

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)

This weekend I was reminded of a moment that Marni and I will never forget.

Years ago, I was officiating a wedding in Coronado for a wonderful couple. Over five weeks of premarital counseling, we had become close, and when they asked me to perform their ceremony, I was honored.

For some reason, I had it firmly fixed in my mind that the wedding started at 5:00 PM.

At 3:15 that afternoon, our house was full of boys. Two of them were brothers, Hudsie and Jackson. In the middle of all the chaos, Jackson sliced his leg on our fire pit. I had him sitting on our kitchen counter while I played medic, cleaning and bandaging the cut.

And right in the middle of it all, I heard a thought so clearly that it stopped me:

"The wedding is at 4."

I finished wrapping Jackson's leg and immediately checked the invitation.

There it was.

"Make sure you are on the 3:50 trolley at the latest. Wedding starts at 4:00 PM."

Instant panic.

Neither Marni nor I were dressed. Medical supplies were scattered all over the kitchen. Kids were everywhere. We threw ourselves together and somehow got in the car by 3:35.

As we drove, I knew there was no way we were making it on time.

The wedding was being held outdoors at a beachfront home. Nearly 200 people were expected. I imagined the guests waiting, the groom wondering where the officiant was, and the embarrassment of being late to one of the most important moments of someone's life.

We pulled up at 4:07 PM.

I jumped out of the car and hurried toward the ceremony.

A man met me in the driveway.

"DID YOU HEAR?" he asked.

"Hear what?"

"They finally got access to the cleaners and found the suit. He's putting it on right now."

One of the groomsmen had been missing his suit. Everything had been delayed.

No one knew I was late.

No one noticed I hadn't been there.

The ceremony hadn't even started.

For me, that moment has always been simple.

God spoke.

Had I ignored that prompting—or never heard it at all—the outcome would have been very different. Instead, God covered me. He redirected me. He made a way.

Why am I thinking about that story today?

Because this weekend, that little boy sitting on my kitchen counter with a cut leg got married.

Jackson.

And as Charlie and I pulled up, I looked at the clock.

3:55 PM for a 4:00 PM wedding.

Just in time.

I told the story again this weekend, and every time I tell it, I come back to the same conclusion:

God still speaks.

He speaks through His Word. He speaks through people. He speaks through promptings, convictions, desires, and moments we can't quite explain.

The challenge isn't whether God is speaking.

The challenge is whether we're listening.

The world is crowded. It is loud. There are countless voices competing for our attention every day.

But just as a child can pick out the voice of their father in the middle of a crowd, those who walk closely with Jesus learn to recognize His voice too.

And when we do, we discover something beautiful:

His voice always leads to life.