the Holy Spirit and Surround Sound speakers

Today I bought an early Christmas present for me and Niklas (because it was on sale for a limited time only). I bought a 5.1 surround sound speaker system, which is this huge subwoofer thingy that puts out bass, plus 5 other smaller speakers that you set up in like a circle around you at the computer. It is supposed to "enhance my listening experience" as I sit at the computer and do my work or play games or watch DVDs.

So, I set them up just now, as a surprise for Niklas when he comes home. And, as I was leaning back after about an hour's worth of set-up time and enjoying my "enhanced listening experience" of some great music on the Internet, I got to thinking about the Holy Spirit. It will take me awhile to get to my point with that, but just read on...

I was thinking about the effects of Surround Sound speakers. I mean, if they work as they are supposed to, then you really do get a much fuller, well rounded-out sound and you really can hear many more aspects of either the song you are listening to or the movie you are watching. Suddenly, it is as though you can hear every single instrument and you feel as though you are in the studio as they are recording the music, or feel as though you are IN the movie in some way.

It is the audio equivalent of what I remember occurring when I got my glasses for the first time when I was 13. Suddenly, a new world was opened up to me, but the first thing I noticed and was totally overwhelmed by was that I could see EVERY SINGLE blade of grass when I looked at the yard. I know it may sound silly, but that just blew me away--that there could be so many sharply-defined, individual blades of grass. It was awesome.

It is a bit like that with these new speakers in that suddenly I am aware of so many more individual sounds and nuances and aspects and layers of what I am listening to.

Now, finally, I will get to what I meant about the Holy Spirit...

I got to thinking about how the voice of the Holy Spirit is so much like Surround Sound speakers. In a sense, developing the ability to hear the voice of God is kind of like the progression (only more gradually, of course) of going from listening to music from one small mono speaker to 5 surround sound speakers plus a huge subwoofer. His voice and the things that He has to say are so elaborate, so complex and yet so lovely as a whole that it simply must be experienced in a way that allows for all of the different things He has to say and the way He has to say them to be experienced to the max.

Wow, now I am not sure if I am making sense in words even though it makes sense in my head. There are so many layers to what He says, there are so many aspects of His voice, so many rich interwoven, interlacing beautiful sounds representing the way He speaks to us, and they all work together to produce one sound that is the Shepherd's voice.

It is like a waterfall...Heard from a distance it is mighty, thundering, and yet all of the billions of streams of water contained in the waterfall make a sound that kind of runs together when you are far away. But when you come closer to that waterfall, or even can walk behind it and get as close as possible, you can listen carefully for some of the individual trickles that are the billions of trickles that make up the entire waterfall sound.

The voice of the Holy Spirit is like that, in some respects. Like a waterfall and like a Surround Sound speaker system. It doesn't work to just listen to one of the speakers because you miss out on so many other glorious parts of the entire sound. You have to listen to Him in all of the things that He has to say. Things that act as a spotlight on your heart to show you things that you need to change, as well as things about Jesus that overwhelm your heart with passion for Him. And when all of those different things are taken as a whole and experienced in their entirety, it is as glorious as seeing a billion blades of grass where you once only saw a blurry patch of green felt.

What could possibly sound more lovely than the voice of God Himself?????