The Voice of Truth

I love going to the cinema. I love the experience of being in a cinema and seeing films on the big screen, but most of all I love movies. I love being part of a different world, getting to know the characters and being part of someone else’s story for a couple of hours.

I also find that, if I let him, then God really speaks to me through films. I’m not trying to sound really holy here, but I often find that through films God can often remind me of truths, or reinforce ideas that he’s been challenging me about. That’s if I listen to him of course!

Last month I went to see the film The Dark Tower which is an adaptation of the Stephen King novels. I’ve not read the books, so I’m not sure if the film is a faithful adaptation but I’ll tell you a short premise of the film… At the centre of the worlds stands the dark tower. As long as the tower stands, it protects the worlds from evil creatures and demons from entering them. There are people that are charged to protect the tower, gunslingers, and there is one who is bent on destroying the tower and letting evil run freely through the worlds – this is Walter.

Walter is a sorcerer. He speaks and plays tricks and the words he speaks come to pass. This isn’t because his words have ultimate authority but because those he is interacting with listen and take on board his words and believe them to be their reality. Those listening give his words the power and authority they would otherwise lack and they do become reality.

Those, like the gunslinger Roland, that have the power to resist his tricks do so because they know that his words are false and that they aren’t reality. They have the strength of mind to focus on what is reality and not give his words power and authority in their lives.

As I was watching the film, God was speaking to me of something that has been cropping up a lot recently: the battle that goes on in our minds.

Whether Stephen King intended it this way or not, I thought that Walter, is in this way, is a good portrait of Satan. When things are going on around us and voices are vying for our attention, which voice do we choose to listen to? Which reality do we choose to believe? In my life this is particularly true when I face difficulty, disappointment, hurt or expectations from others that I can’t match – who’s voice do I listen to? What reality do I choose to believe when things don’t turn out the way that I expected or wanted them to? Whose voice do I listen to when I’m hurting?

Do we listen to the voice that says you’re a failure; God doesn’t love you; you deserve to be hurt because you’re not loveable; God’s healed that person but not you because you don’t deserve it; you’re on your own?

Or do we listen to the voice of truth that says I love you; I’m here; don’t be afraid; you’re mine; you’re precious; I know things are tough but I’m with you and I’ll never leave you. I will provide for you.

There have been a lot of times recently where I know that I’ve not chosen to listen to God’s voice. I’ve believed the lies and those lies have become part of my reality. I’ve let those lies shape my relationship with God and with others around me and I’ve let them shape the way that I think about myself.

As I was thinking about this more and be challenged by God I thought of one of my favourite songs by Casting Crowns The Voice of Truth. It’s a great song and I recommend you listen to it all, but the bridge and chorus have these lines:

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. “Boy, you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win!”

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
The voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

That song reminds me that in the battle of my mind there is a choice: Whose voice do we choose to listen to? What reality do we choose to believe?