Hearing God: Shouting Out the Gentle Whisper
God Whispers
This morning I heard what sounded like a gentle press of a piano key. It was very soft and easily missed. I inclined my ear, and what sounded like the tender plucking of a harp began to follow – shortly thereafter a melody was formed. I began praising the LORD in my thoughts, and as it has happened before, an angel began to sing my very thoughts in sync. He continued praising the Lord, now spontaneously, finishing with “Glory and honour and blessing to the King.” It was blissful, filling my heart with lovesickness for the LORD as the angel and I praised Him together.
Always Speaking
This simple encounter impressed on me two things.
Firstly, God is [constantly] speaking to His children. God says “My sheep hear my voice”, yet many of us believe “God never speaks to [me]”, or that He doesn’t speak today, period. Malachi 3:6 tells us “I, the LORD, do not change”. The issue isn’t that God isn’t speaking, the issue is that we’re not [looking] for what He’s saying (Habakkuk 2:1). We live distracted lives too loud to catch His “still, small voice”. We believe if God is to speak, He will instead speak to us through wind, earthquakes, and fire. Yet, He favours the “gentle whisper” of 1 Kings 19:11-13, and instructs us to "Be still and know that I am God".
Treasure Hunting
All throughout our day, God is sending His children messages. If we look for them, we’ll find them, just as Jeremiah did. Jeremiah 1:11-12 says, “Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching to perform My word.’”” How easy it is to gloss over a tree—or birds, license plates, recurring numbers and names. Our God is the God of creativity, and all throughout the Bible we see Him speaking symbolically.
Seer Bob Jones, a prophet and friend of God who was caught up to the third heavens daily, recounts his greatest encounters – including entering the throne room – beginning by attuning to a subtle cue. Likewise, if I had not inclined my ear to a seemingly common sound, I would not have sung praises with an angel this morning.
Takeaway #1: Look for His Voice
Expect subtle and creative methods of communication. Look for what God is saying to you—be thankful for the gentle whispers and the playful symbols. As you steward the single talent well in a posture of thanksgiving, the LORD will entrust you with more.
The Power of Sharing
Secondly, Bobby Conner, Jamie Galloway, and Jeff Randle, Godly men who dwell in the secret place (Psalm 91:1), have taught that sharing testimonies cultivates an atmosphere in the spirit for it to happen again. The Bible says our tongue possesses the power of death and life. Simply verbalizing what God is doing in our lives creates a shift and unlocks something in the spirit.
Last night, a man came over to my house to receive healing prayer for a terrible accident. As the LORD began healing him, I shared with him how one of my favourite experiences with the LORD is hearing and joining the angelic in worship of Him. 12 hours later, an angel is audibly praising the LORD with me.
Testify to Multiply
For the past couple years, I have withheld hundreds if not thousands of testimonies of what God is doing in me and through me. I was told by numerous parties they are not mine to share, and that the Bible supports this when Jesus tells [some] who were healed to tell no one of what had happened. This is grievously misinterpreted and it is deeply saddening to the LORD. It is a sentiment born out of fear and envy that robs the LORD of His glory – the very reason we are here on earth. We must ask the LORD to examine our hearts, repent of this and boldly proclaim what God is doing among us. We are to proclaim the Kingdom unashamedly; not reside in hiddenness
Mark 1:45 tells us that “Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places” as the result of news of His healing spreading. Jesus desired to teach the Kingdom – healing, deliverance, and the miraculous were not His top priority (nor are they ours) – they were simply manifestations of compassionate power to prove the authenticity of Him and His teachings. We see this hierarchy of needs when Jesus was grieved by only one of ten healed lepers returning to give God glory (Luke 17:17-18).
Mark 9:30-31 tells us, “Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus tried to avoid all publicity in order to spend more time with his disciples and teach them.” The crowds sought immediate benefit, where as this would hinder the eternal benefit Jesus had come to teach. Jesus understood the eternal eclipsed the temporal. In Acts 14:27, Paul and Barnabas share testimonies in glorification of God at the church of Antioch: “Arriving there, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had accomplished with them…”
Takeaway #2: Shout Out
The Bible is split into the Old and New [Testament]! Testify of what God is doing in your life. Do not touch God’s glory or allow the fear of man – and the fear [of] men – to silence proclamation of the Kingdom. New wine will not fit into the old religious wineskin. March forward with mouths wide open!
Discover the supernatural beings of the bible by meeting the Living Letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet in this Christian Mystic Q&A.