God Wants You to Hear His Whisper
How do you feel when you walk into your living room? Or maybe better – how do you want to feel? Or even better – how do you want others to feel when they enter your living room?
For most of my life, I’ve been oblivious to how a space’s design impacts people. Who knew that colors could be loud or calming?
Kristy.
Her intuitive sense and gratuitous interior design skill has taught me so much. One of the first questions she asks her interior design clients is, “How do you want this room to make people feel?”
From there, she pulls together all the elements necessary to create the desired feel utilizing her client’s personality and preferences.
When the project is completed, the space speaks.
In his classic book, The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard says that God has done something similar with creation.
He intentionally designed every molecule of creation, weaving together galaxies and ecosystems to speak to the people He created in His image.
“The Heavens declare the glory of God. Night after night, they pour forth speech.”
I am thoroughly convinced that one of the sweetest things in life, what God desires deeply for us – is to speak tenderly, consistently, intimately with us.
He loves us – you – and is tenaciously committed to chasing you down with goodness and grace!
But if God spoke to you – would you hear?
God Still Speaks Through the Bible
The Bible is fascinating and reveals God’s irresistible, mesmerizing personality. It contains stories, poems, history, prophecy, and more.
There’s no form of communication or literary genre that God doesn’t enjoy using. He’s artistic and direct. He tells stories and speaks didactically. God invites sage-like wonder and warns of prophetic certainty.
Shoot, the Proverbs beat Twitter (or “X”) to the scene by a few thousand years!
The Bible will draw us deeper, eternally, into the mystery and majesty of the Triune God who is love.
And the Bible is abundantly clear that God speaks in many, many ways. None of which will contradict the Scriptures, all designed to magnify Jesus’ beauty.
Is the Bible Enough?
I mean… yes and no.
It is absolutely enough in that the canon is closed, and we don’t need another, new revelation.
However, the Bible itself says that it’s not enough.
“You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me. But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.”
See, the Bible isn’t an end. It’s a means. The end is enjoying God’s heart! The goal is an intimate, loving, daily conversational relationship with God.
“This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent —Jesus Christ.”
Now, many people understandably get nervous when they hear people claim that they’ve heard from God.
The accounts of spiritual abuse and manipulation are overwhelming.
On a more practical, common level, though, many people don’t even know how to engage with someone who believes God spoke to them directly.
It feels so…..dangerous? Heavy-handed? Controlling, maybe? Or perhaps presumptuous? Self-important?
But like Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile jokingly says, “We all become Pentecostals when we need something!”
There is no question that spiritual mysticism can be used to manipulate. But so can the Bible. Satan used and manipulated God’s word to tempt Jesus. He’ll do the same to us.
Still, God is faithful. And I don’t want to settle for any less than all of what God has for me!
There is no formula to hear from God. Like in any relationship, you can mishear or misunderstand what He says.
I misunderstand my wife all the time!
What concerns me most, though, is not misunderstanding what God says – it’s missing what He says. Here are a few of the ways I’m prone to miss God’s presence in my life:
Not Paying Attention
Being Afraid to Hope
Feeling Ashamed
Being Distracted
Trusting myself more than God
PRIDE
Ambition for anything more than loving Jesus without conditions
How about you? Don’t be afraid. Press in. God will meet you. With compassion. He loves to. When it comes to hearing God, we’re all prone to biff it.
Thankfully, He is an excellent, persistent, patient communicator. He is bigger than us - and our misunderstandings. He is faithful and committed to His glory even when we fall short.
The Whisper that Drowns out the Noise
While God can and does speak to us in many ways, I think whispering may be His favorite. I’m not even sure how to define the experience of it.
I just know that whispering is one of the most intimate forms of communication. Think of a loving mother nursing her baby to sleep. Or how lovers whisper “sweet nothings.”
On Friday, November 17th, I heard God whisper. I was afraid to receive it. I thought I heard God say that we needed to start packing to get ready to go to Portland. That we were going to get an occupant for our house that day.
At this point, we had our house on the market for two months. We had more than a dozen showings, multiple open houses.
No offers. Consistent disappointment.
So, I kind of bargained with God. I told Him I wouldn’t say anything to anyone until I received tangible confirmation.
I felt like God said that I should anticipate receiving a message.
And I did!
Hours later, a message came through Facebook – and within two days, we had a contract drawn up for our house to be rented out to a sweet young family whom we trust.
We’re thrilled to have this specific family in our home where they can grow, thrive, love Jesus, one another, and the wonderful neighbors in this hidden gem of a neighborhood.
Here we come, Portland!! Thank you, Jesus!!
God Cares About You – and What You Care About
“I think God’s got more important things to worry about,” a neighbor once told me while we discussed some of his concerns.
I wish I had a response, but I’m not quick on my feet. So I said almost nothing. I probably just told him I was sorry that he was struggling.
But do you want to know what’s amazing about God’s ability to care for every detail of your life?
He’s infinite! Omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient!
He’s not constrained by any limitations. He can – and is – absolutely, 100% fully invested in your life and what you care about without having to divide any of His attention!
Of course, other people have more significant challenges than you. God is perfectly attentive to them, too. Without needing to overlook anything you care about, regardless of how small it may seem.
He will speak. He wants to be intimately involved in every decision you make. Not in a micromanaging, overbearing kind of way. But because he just loves you like crazy!
Opportunity to Give
As 2023 comes to a close and the Holiday season ramps up, Kristy and I want nothing more than for you to hear God’s voice reassuring you of His perfect, insatiable, uncontainable, irresistible love for you.
We would be so grateful if you would consider asking God to speak to you about whether He would have you join our support team as we follow Jesus to Portland.
The opportunity God has given us is so humbling. We are in awe that we get to share His love and the power of his nearness with a city that needs to know the hope and healing God’s love can bring.
We can’t – and don’t want to – do this without you. If you feel like it would be good for your heart, you can contribute a one-time, end-of-the-year gift or become a regular monthly donor.
Our family also humbly requests that you prayerfully consider joining our prayer team. Over the past few years, we’ve become convinced that prayer is the most critical work in any church.
Through prayer, we remain in God’s love, and He has promised that when we abide in Him, we will all bear much fruit.
You can sign up for one or the other, or both, here.
We want you to hear from and follow God. Would you please consider spending some intentional time asking God to show you if He would have you participate in this work with us?
And then freely, joyfully, expectantly respond however God leads you.
He will lead – and however that looks – it will be better than all we would dare to ask or imagine.
