I often crack jokes about how God doesn’t email, write, text, call…all those things we do when we want to talk to someone. And while I’m joking around, there is also a bit of seriousness in the wish for God to communicate in a way that is easy and quick and straightforward. But…
That isn’t how God works. Our God is one who loves to whisper.
I had a choir director in choir who was fabulous. The more important the instructions, often the softer he would talk. If you wanted to hear you had to pay attention. I never heard him yell, only saw him get really mad once. In a room with 40-50 people with college students in it, he could have it absolutely silent…because no one wanted to miss what he had to say.
I sometimes wonder if God isn’t like that. The more important the message the softer it’s spoken. It doesn’t seem to make sense, yet…
Think about your day. Go through it and take note – how noisy and filled with sound your day is…maybe it’s the sound of kids, or maybe you’re the type that wakes up to music and has music playing all day long. Maybe it’s the sound of machinery where you work, the TV at night, the person in the next cubicle or desk…but our lives don’t have much silence in them. And if our God is a God who loves to whisper, no wonder we don’t hear him.
I leave in a couple of days for a solitary retreat. It will be quiet. I plan to listen…a lot. I’ll let you know how it goes!
But you don’t have to be that drastic. So, here’s a thought. Try carving out 3-5 minutes a day. That’s all to start with. And be quiet. Sit quiet. No music, no noise. Sit in your car if that’s the only place you can find that’s quiet. And then be still. And listen.
For whispers…of love, of direction, of grace. Who knows what you will hear. – Pastor Jane Jebsen
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