When God Whispers

“You don’t need to shout. My hearing works just fine.”

Are you a parent that has used that one on your kids? I’m not sure at what age they realize that the volume of their voice doesn’t correlate to the likelihood of receiving a favorable reply — it might be sometime in the teenage years, when the talking slows down altogether.

But I’ve got to admit, it would be nice if God always gave us a loud and dramatic sign when He wanted something — the booming voice and the torn-open heavens (“This is my beloved Son!”) really get the message across. Sometimes I find myself envious of the Apostles, who were able to witness such things in person.

The fact of the matter is, in the year 2021, God is more likely to speak in a whisper than in a shout. The prophet Isaiah forewarns that Christ himself will not be a noisemaker — for all his preaching, he will not cry out or shout to bring forth justice to the nations. His way is altogether different than that.

We are not the Apostles, and we do not have the privilege of seeing the Holy Spirit descend on Christ like a dove. But here’s the good news: God doesn’t need to shout. Our spiritual hearing works just fine. We just have to be listening.

Let’s wake up each morning ready to hear God’s whispers throughout the day. Let’s make a conscious effort to invite those whispers into our hearts, where they can become a catalyst for grace in this world.

— Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS