WHISPER

BY PASTOR TERRY TOWNSEND

SO ELI TOLD SAMUEL, “GO AND LIE DOWN, AND IF HE CALLS YOU, SAY, ‘SPEAK, LORD, FOR YOUR SERVANT IS LISTENING.’” SO SAMUEL WENT AND LAY DOWN IN HIS PLACE.

1 SAMUEL 3:9 (NIV)

Have you ever been bold enough to pray Samuel’s prayer? As Mark Batterson puts it, “God has an outside voice, and He’s not afraid to use it, but when God wants to be heard, when what He has to say is too important to miss, He often speaks in a whisper just above the absolute threshold of hearing.” While Jesus is God’s full and final revelation, we can also see that God speaks through six secondary languages consistently in Scripture.

1. Desires.

“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). As we follow God, He births new desires in us.

2. Checks in the spirit.

These can be God’s red lights: an uneasiness that won’t go away, a lack of peace, a sense something isn’t right.

3. Dreams.

God can use dreams to confirm His direction for you.

4. Doors.

Closed doors can look like a failure but can also protect you from going the wrong way.

5. People.

Someone can say something to you that unlocks your understanding in a new way.

6. Promptings.

Mark Batterson writes, “When we have a thought that is better than our best thought on our best day, it might be from God.” The Holy Spirit is our guide. If we ignore His promptings, we miss the miracle!

7. Pain.

I don’t know about you, but some of my most significant life changes have come from deep pain.

The pain of being removed from a country we loved (Indonesia) led us to a strategic new adventure in Russia—right after the collapse of the Soviet Union. If it weren’t for that closed door, we would have missed an opportunity to launch something new in a nation that was starting over. You must pray about your decision if you want the Holy Spirit to check your impulses. Pray for both open and closed doors, and be thankful for both.

Moving Forward

In which of these seven communication modes do you feel the need to grow? How about praying this prayer with me: Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening!