Lord! Why Must You Whisper?

By: Vicki White

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,
‘This is the way; walk in it.’”  ~ Isaiah 30:21

I was in a season of not being able to hear God’s voice. We all go through those, right? Although I knew that God is never the one who goes away, I found myself complaining that I felt like I was feeling my way along a dark corridor without any light at the end to guide me. Ironically, I had been praying for a deeper level of intimacy with Him. In response, He soon called me to just sit with Him in silence in the Holy Place. That is a hard thing to do for someone whose mind likes to wander frequently!

As I obediently began sitting with Him in silence each morning in the pre-dawn hours, my frustrations threatened to mount. Sometimes I would listen to soaking music while I focused and that seemed to help. However, I would repeatedly have to redirect my focus to the Lord as my mind wandered again and again. Many times, I asked for a picture that I could focus on, but nothing came…so I sat in the quiet stillness not knowing what I was doing other than just trying to be obedient. A couple of times I fell asleep. (I’m just being real, here!) After several weeks of struggling with this practice and feeling like I was failing miserably, I cried out begging Him to speak to me. I heard a faint whisper but did not catch what it was. In frustration, I cried out, “LORD! Why must You whisper? Why can’t you just talk to me?”  Suddenly, He dropped a sensory vision into my mind. I felt the whiskered cheek of Jesus against my cheek, His nose buried in my hair and his mouth at my ear. He whispered, “Do you know why I whisper?”  Overcome, I gasped, “No, Lord! Why?” And He said, “Because I am THIS close!”  

He showed me that I do not have to DO one more thing to enjoy eternity in the bliss of Heaven with Him and all your my ones. My future is secure in my faith in Jesus. He also led me to learn that the best way to build intimacy with the Lord is just to BE with Him. He wanted me to discover the intimacy of just sitting with Him in the darkness with no words, trusting Him and loving Him, so I could learn to receive His love in return. His Presence is the sweetest thing I know. It is worth any price, any act of obedience He might ask of you. If you haven’t experienced the overwhelming joy, peace and love of the Father, ask Him to help you. But when you do, just be obedient, even if what He asks of you doesn’t make sense. Then prepare yourself for the extraordinary.

Prayer:  Father God, thank You for the patient, loving, and gentle ways You teach me, guide me and help me learn Your Truth. Thank You for loving me so much and for helping me learn to love You more each day. Keep me hungry for more of You, Lord. I never want to stop learning about the beautiful mysteries of Your infinite love, in Jesus’ mighty Name, amen.

Breath Prayer:

In:  Holy Spirit, come!

Out: Fill me with Your Presence.