Whispers

I've been listening to several messages from Pastors around the country lately. One church I love to listen to is Gateway Church in Dallas, TX. Their senior pastor is just wonderful. His name is Robert Morris. I also really enjoy the various speakers that he has fill in for him occasionally. Around New Year's they had a conference at this church and four different pastors spoke. Each of those messages have been great! The latest such message has been by Bill Hybels. He pastors a church in Illinois. He spoke on the whisper of God, the "still, small voice" as it is often called. I got to thinking about this while listening to the message. Why does God choose to speak in a whisper? A simple answer occurred to me... We have to be close to Him in order to hear.... Pastor Hybels told many life stories of times when he heard a whisper. Sometimes he would heed the voice, other times he would not. One such whisper which he heeded was to start a local church. At an early age, he chose to forego the lucrative family business and start a church. His dad was disappointed and heartbroken but Bill knew he had to heed the whisper. As a result, thousands upon thousands of lives have been eternally changed. Another whisper which he did not heed was to reach out to an old high school friend, Don. Bill had not been in touch with Don for decades but heard God whisper that he needed to reach out to him. He did not do it. About two weeks later he got word that Don had chosen to take his own life. God used that tragic event to teach Bill the importance of heeding God's whisper.

So cool!! I love the idea that the God of the Universe whispers to me too! Not only does he talk to me, but His Holy Spirit lives inside me and offers direction to my life. What a blessing to have the Creator of all life offering advice on how to live. Again, so cool!

This morning when I got to work, a homeless guy named Reginald was there. He sometimes stops by the office to chat (and ask for money). We talked for a little while and sure enough, he asked for some money for food. The Lord whispered to me that I needed to pray with him. Not to just give him money like I had in the past, but to start praying with him. I had heard this whisper before, but this time I DID IT!!! I gave him a few dollars and he quickly had to run catch the bus. I walked in the office so giddy. I felt like a child that had just figured out a puzzle. I had heard the whisper of God and I had heeded it.

"The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, and the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you." ~2 Corinthians 13.14