Heading to bed an hour earlier than usual meant waking up even earlier than usual.

It’s a quiet morning as one would expect at this hour. An occasional car passes. The air is still and there is hardly any sound of a breeze.

Sitting with my coffee mug, I hear the sound. It is familiar to me as it drove me crazy one year. It is the sound of a woodpecker.

Instead of pecking at our house, he is now contentedly at work in the woods which border the back of our home. But I can still hear the echo of his incessant pecking as he is quite persistent. I’m grateful for since the house has been resided, he has finally left us alone.

Grabbing a second cup of coffee, I sit back down on the couch and listen. This time instead of hearing Woody at work, the sound of a beautiful lilt fills the air.

As the happy song delights my ears, I begin to wonder about the woodpecker. Paying attention, I notice he is still there pecking away.

I sat for some time, sipping my coffee and listening to the sounds out back. As I focused on the sounds of one, the sound of the other was hardly heard at all. In fact, the sound of the annoying tapping was not even noticeable.

There’s two voices speaking to us each day. One is the incessant droning of the enemy who seeks to bring us down with his persistent nagging. His messages are wearying, in an attempt to distract us from God’s truth. He is relentless and ruthless.

But then there is the other, the beautiful sound of our God, who with His song calms our fears and rejoices over us (Zephaniah 3:17). His words are faithful and fortifying.

We have the choice, each and every day, as to which voice we will strain our ears to hear.

“Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen and you will find life.”
(Isaiah 55:3, NLT)