“And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid’” (Genesis 3:10a, ESV).

This is Adam and Eve, of course, in the garden of Eden. They heard the Lord and it made them afraid. Now the voice of the Lord can be a fearsome thing. In Psalm 29, we read that the voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness. However, the voice of the Lord is a comfort and a blessing to God’s children, to those walking in His ways. God speaks and things are set right. The Lord speaks and our victory is accomplished. The Lord speaks and we are consoled.

“If you would do what is right, you would find my words comforting” (Micah 2:7b); that was the New Living Translation. English Standard Version is, “Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly?” The Lord is for your good, not for your harm. The last words of Psalm 29, about the power of the voice of the Lord, are, “May the LORD bless his people with peace!” (Psalm 29:11, ESV).

He doesn’t want to shake us. He wants us to not be shaken. He wants our feet firmly planted so that we will not be moved. He wants our feet to not slip. We want the Lord to speak comfort to His people, but He will roar if we need it. That’s His goodness too. If we need to be shaken, to maybe wake us up, He will do it out of His love and goodness. But better to walk in Him and know His voice as good and comforting.