An echo is a sound caused by the reflection of sound waves from a surface back to the listener. Hard, smooth surface are particularly good at reflecitng sound, with empty rooms producing lots of echoes. Echoes can tell us the location of something at times.

The hymnwriter Fanny Crosby, in her hymn ‘Blessed Assurance’, writes about ‘angels descending bring from above/ Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.’ I’ve always loved this lyric, since it reminds me of God’s mercy and love, but what strikes me especially is how she talks about ‘echoes’ and ‘whispers.’

Psalm 29 talks about the Lord’s thundering voice, and there are indeed times when God speaks in this way (see Heb 12:26). But there are also times when our ears have to strain to hear His whispers (think of Elijah, who heard the Lord not in the wind, earthquake or fire but in a gentle whisper, 1 Kings 19:11-13). Sometimes all we may hear are whispers and echoes. An echo is generally quieter than the original sound, but can still nonetheless be evidence of speech.

To hear God’s echoes of mercy and whispers of love – whether these are sent through angels or other media – requires listening ears and a still heart. We have to take time out from the ‘hustle bustle’ or everyday life. We have to practise active listening, drowning out the noise all around us, stilling not only the external noise but the frantic mutterings of our own minds. ‘I need to stop so I can hear You speak,’ as Jeremy Camp sings (‘Slow Down Time’)

Today, if we pause long enough to listen well, there will indeed be echoes of mercy and whispers of love to be heard. God is always speaking to us. Maybe we just need to stop and listen harder.

In our series looking at our identity as the people of God, we looked tonight at the fact that we are known by God. Paul mentions this in Gal 4:9-11 as he tries to teach the Galatians that salvation is by faith alone and there is no need to celebrate special times and dates or be circumcised in order to be accepted by God. We often speak of us knowing God, but the fact that God knows us is even more revolutionary, for it gives us stability, worth and significance.

Names are hugely important in the Bible; God says through Isaiah, ‘I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’ (Is 43:1) Moreover, God does not just know our names (which in the Bible implies He knows all about us), He has enabled us to be called by His name. (Is 43:7) He will, moreover, give us a new name (see Is 62:1-2, Is 65:13-15, Rev 2:17), again, an indication of a deep personal knowledge and relationship. Our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Luke 10:20); we cannot be forgotten by God. (Is 49:15-16)

Psalm 139 is probably the most comprehensive account of God’s intimate knowledge of us, from conception onwards. In this psalm, David celebrates God’s knowledge of us and reminds us that we are not an accident. We are not unwanted, even if our parents did not plan for us! God made us and knows everything about us: ‘all the days ordained for me were written in your book  before one of them came to be.’ (Ps 139:16)

Jesus describes himself as the good Shepherd and says that he knows us, his sheep, and that we know his voice. (John 10:5-15) He likens His knowledge of the sheep to His knowledge of God the Father, and we see that ‘being known by Jesus produces an intimate and abiding relationship between Jesus and the individual believer modelled on the relationship of Jesus and His Father.’ (‘Known by God’, Brian S. Rosner, P 137) This intimacy and individual knowledge make a huge difference to us in our impersonal and isolated world. We have significance because we are known and loved by God. This is our core identity, which does not change. Since we are known by God, let’s not turn back, as the Galatians were tempted to do, to what we knew before or to things that simply cannot satisfy. Let’s allow God’s knowledge of us and love for us to shape us into the people He has made us to be and let’s hold our heads up high, for we are known by the King of Kings and welcomed by Him each day.

We meet Nathan the prophet for the first time in 2 Samuel 7. A prophet was one who proclaimed God’s words to people; he also recorded events that happened during David’s reign (1 Chron 29:29) and was involved in the music worship of the time (2 Chron 29:25), but little else is known about him apart from this chapter and his clearly spoken word of admonition later in David’s life. Obviously he is important in being God’s spokesman to David at critical times in his life.

Nathan appears to have had a good relationship with David, but his primary calling is to speak forth what God says to him, and this he does without reserve. A prophet’s job is not always an easy one, for there are times when speaking God’s word will go against what people want to hear. Nathan does not shirk this responsibility, but acts with courage and conviction. Despite initially endorsing David’s idea (“Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.” 2 Sam 7:3), he is prepared to go back to him the next day when God has spoken to him and give him ‘the word of the Lord’, even if this might have seemed a dangerous thing to do. (Kings don’t always respond well to revision of their plans, let alone rebuke.) But Nathan knows that this is his job. He must speak out what God gives him. He is not afraid to admit that he has got it wrong; his only concern is to bring David what God has told him to say.

We too need the courage and convictions of Nathan. Our responsibility is to speak God’s word, whether this is popular or well received or not. We have to be prepared to wait on God and listen to Him more than anyone else.