…holding on to faith and a good conscience,
which some have rejected and thereby shipwrecked their faith.” — I Timothy 1:19 (BSB).
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I was over in Rome a few years back. One evening I was having a meal with friends. One of them visited local prisons to Bring The Christian message to inmates. One of the prisoners who had been a member of the mafia confessed that he had taken many lives and asked "Will God ever forgive me?" This was troubling his conscience deeply; a sign that an outside influence was at work in his inner conscience.
This resonated with me. C.S. Lewis had much to say on divine influence, especially his idea of a “controlling power” that speaks within rather than through what we see. Lewis proposes that a higher power could not reveal itself as another physical fact in our universe but would instead press on us from within, gently urging a response we cannot ignore.
Lewis' analogy of a house speaks to this. Just as a house’s builder does not reside within the walls, the divine, if real, would reach us differently, nudging us through a sense of direction we feel yet cannot see. What Lewis suggests is that this inner prompting should “arouse suspicions.” Why do we feel a pull toward qualities like love, truth, or kindness? Despite the noise of daily life, this inner voice seems to keep calling, a steady influence that does not easily fit within a material worldview.
Moments exist when I have ignored this voice. I sometimes let pride and my own ideas drive me, leaving me with a feeling of unease. Ignoring this guidance unsettles, like losing footing. The voice within, though quiet, presses back, drawing attention to a deeper alignment needed. It reminds me to pause, to listen, and to reconnect with what feels right and true.
For me, Lewis’ framing of this inner influence is an invitation. If we all have this inner voice that points us to something greater, it might be our most important clue that there is more than just ourselves in play. This prompting asks us to trust, to let it shape how we live and act, rather than being merely a vague feeling.
In following this quiet nudge, I feel we find something of lasting worth—not our own goals but a peace that comes from something, or Someone, who knows us fully.