Charlie O’Donnell died. That name may mean nothing more to you than it did to me when I first read it. But then his obituary described who he was. He was the voice of “Wheel of Fortune.” He was the man who announced that a lucky contestant had won “ONE HUNDRED THOUUUUUUUSAND DOLLARS!!!” For 28 years, his voice was tied inextricably to the show, even as recently as Friday night. He was also the voice for the Emmys, the Oscars, “The Dating Game,” “The Newlywed Game,” “Joker’s Wild,” and countless other shows.
Can you hear his voice in your head yet?
In many ways, he was a lot like God. We tend to think of God as the voice of thundering pronouncement. “Pay attention. I’m about to tell you what you are supposed to do with your life.” “Marry this person.” “Take this job.” Even “turn right at the next light.” (Oh, wait a minute, that last one is now handled by GPS.) We understand and long for the deep-voiced God whose voice is heard easily over the cheering audience. And, indeed, at times, that is exactly what happens.
However, the Biblical witness also mentions God in the silence, the God of the still, small voice. God’s voice is sometimes found in the midnight carols of angels. Sometimes, we can only hear the voice of God in the calm after the storm. The voice of God might be deep and thundering, but it also might be found in the timbre of the voice of a friend. And, at times, it might simply be carried on a sigh. If we’re only listening for the big and booming voice, we might miss out on the voice that is speaking to us.
Rest in peace, Charlie O’Donnell. Thank you for the years of tidings of joy that you brought to many people.
