Listen to the Whisper
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“And these are only a small part of God’s works. We only hear a small whisper of him.
Who could understand God’s thundering power?” Job 26:14
She said whenever I could stop by, she would love to see me. I heard the whisper in her heart. She needed to talk with me. He whispered, “I still love her.” I heard the loneliness in his heart. She asked for prayers for her son. I heard the whisper of her heart and the fear inside of her. We may all have whispered, “God, I believe you are here. I just need to hear you whisper to me.”
A whisper. It is to speak softly using one’s breath without one’s vocal cords. It is to softly speak without wanting someone else to hear. God whispers to us so that we will move closer to Him to hear Him speak. God appeared to Elijah in a “still gentle voice” or in a “soft whisper” or “the sound of a gentle blowing” found in I Kings 19:12. Are you listening for the whisper of God in your heart?
The world is a loud place, and even the holidays can be loud and overwhelming. Some of you had a noisy Thanksgiving dinner with lots of people with the football game blaring in the background on the TV. The stores are loud with Christmas music, bright decorations, and signs of sales and way too much stuff to buy. Others of you experienced quiet in these past days. You were alone, but your thoughts may have been loud with worries and fears. You hear the noises of the season and just want to escape it and want it to be over. You hear the loneliness shout at you. The quiet is deafening and it is difficult to hear the whisper of God over the shouts of pain, loneliness, and the emptiness of your heart. The noise and the quiet can both be loud.
Before I begin my morning devotions, I pray, “Lord, help me hear your word to me today.” Recently, I have changed my prayer – “Lord, may I listen to your whisper to me today.” I not only want to hear but to listen. My desire is to listen to God speak His Word to my heart each day. To hear is an involuntary response to sound. We may hear a sound but not take it within or process it. It is like someone who hears you talk but does not listen or comprehend what you actually said. To listen is to actively pay attention. To listen is to receive, respond, and have the desire to understand and take the sound or words within the heart.
My desire is to listen with my heart and to take in God’s word for me each day. To me Christmas is God’s whisper to a hurting and broken world. Jesus, the Savior of the world and the Son of God, comes quietly into this world as a baby. He is born in a small village in a place where animals live. Born to an unknown couple – Mary and Jospeh. God had whispered to Mary and Joseph, and they listened to Him.
So, how do you hear the whisper of Jesus this Christmas? It is not in the media and the loudness of society’s clamor to buy. It begins with your heart. Listen with your broken and anxious heart. Jesus came just for you. Step out of the craziness of the season. Do not get lost in the busyness and all the tasks. Enjoy the simple things of the season that are right in front of you – holiday lights and parades, family time, hot chocolate, reading the Gospels, worship, fellowship, and singing the Christmas songs.
My focus in December is experiencing adventures and pulling closer to people I choose. My desire is to listen to God whisper through His Word and through the people God puts on my path. It is listening to God and embracing the God appointments He has for me this season.
God whispers His joy through the eyes and smiles of a child. Be childlike this Christmas. Find that inner joy that no sorrow or pain can take away. I see God’s whisper in His creation through the sunrise and the sunset. I hear God’s whisper in the wind and the rustle of the remaining leaves. I listen and the moon whispers, “I reflect God’s light.” That is my desire – reflect the light of Jesus this Christmas.
We cannot hear God’s whisper if we do not take the time to be still. To sit and quiet our thoughts and to listen to our souls. Allow your soul to sigh – to release the worry, the fears, the hurts, and the loneliness. Listen to God’s whisper of love and compassion. God whispers – “Jesus – Emmanuel – God is with us.”
