Whispers

Recently my four year old granddaughter whispered in my ear and it got me thinking as I leaned in closer to hear what she was saying.   It caused me to think about the many whispers over the years that have stirred emotions, evoked warmth, provoked a pause to think about the trajectory I am on, even change direction.

A few months ago I read something that came to me as a whisper and permeated my thinking, my being. ……”Behold I am about to do a thing at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.” God said this as Samuel finally realised who his whispers in the night belonged to, and leaned in to hear more. Why does God often speak in whispers? We know he has a louder voice; the voice that spoke creation into being, the voice that speaks through storms and earthquakes, so why a whisper? In the same way I leaned into my Granddaughter to hear clearly, isn’t that what our Father God desires of his children….. to lean in closer, to have an intimate relationship with him, to hang onto his every word …..not just know about him, but to truly know him!

From that day on my waking prayer has become; “ Lord, I want my two ears (Note, the definite two ears, not just one!) to tingle with what you want to speak and show me. It changes the trajectory of my day! In the midst of a world which hurls so much at us, how we need to hear the clarity of those whispers, be daily renewed by the loving truth our Father longs to share with each of his children each day.

When I first started dating my husband, how I relished those whispering sweet somethings in my ear. They made me feel a princess; beautiful, loved and cherished. Today, almost 40 years on, I still relish those intimate moments, but we have to fight for it in the midst of busyness, demands on our time and so on. Isn’t it the same with God? Our relationship with him is pivotal to how we do life, our marriage, bringing up children, face challenges, deal with pain and loss. I’m learning the absolute importance of leaning in above all else and the difference it makes!

It was a whisper that led us to South Africa in 1996, pre-empted by a few whispers that said ‘no’ to other opportunities presented to us. Responding to those whispers has stretched us way beyond anything we ever imagined, the effects magnified through our children and I believe in time through their children – his promises are throughout generations, we just need to keep leaning in!

Mark Batterson says in his amazing book ‘Whisper’:

“If your life is off-key, maybe it’s because you’ve been deafened by the negative self-talk that doesn’t let God get a word in edgewise! Maybe you’ve listened to the voice of criticism so long you can’t believe anything else about yourself. Or maybe it’s the enemy’s voice of condemnation that speaks lies about who you really are. If you don’t silence those competing voices, they’ll eventually deafen you. You won’t  be able to sing God’s song because you won’t be able to hear his voice.” I’ve been there often, and am so grateful for the whispers that have pulled me back!

The Bible is full of defining whispers:

For Samuel, it was the tabernacle at Shiloh

For Jacob, it was Bethel

For Gideon, it was an Oak Tree

For Elijah, it was Mount Carmel

For David, it was a cave

For me, it was my 8 year old son’s dream, followed by being directed to look at a banner, and scriptures. But it’s not just about the big moments, it’s about our daily walk, our daily leaning in to hear what our Father God wants our ears to tingle with for that day. I’m still learning, and often failing, but each time I take the time to lean in for that whisper; it changes me, changes how I walk through that day and enables me to walk victoriously no matter what!