- photo by Susan PageOnce a week I have the privilege of sharing lunch with my special needs friend. Often, I need to remind her to use her indoor voice.

I have the opposite problem with my youngest daughter who has the quietest and gentlest voice of anyone I know. Her spirit is much the same. My daughter claims that I need my hearing checked, but trust me, others must strain to catch what my sweet girl is saying.

While there are definite disadvantages to diminished hearing, one positive is that when you are straining to hear someone, it’s necessary to lean in and pay close attention. This means that you must be near the person you are speaking with. This is a picture of intimacy. It is also what our Father God desires in His relationship with us.

God often speaks in a still small voice, a gentle whisper. The voice of God is described this way in 1 Kings 19: 11-13:

“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Have you ever noticed that a whisper can calm a child who is out of sorts? A hushed whisper will often capture their attention and quiet their spirit.

Jesus walked this earth, calming people’s fears.

“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed” (Psalm 107:29).

The Hebrew word for whisper, demamah, means “silence” or “stillness” or “calmness.” Isn’t it amazing that the words silent and listen have the same letters? Is this a coincidence? I think not.

How attentive we are when a first love softly woos us with a whispered “I love you.”

Our faithful Father patiently waits for us to lean in and listen to His words of love. His whisper is gentle and tender.

I pray that we may hear it above all the “outdoor voices” that interfere.

“The voice of the Spirit is as gentle as a zephyr,” said Oswald Chambers. “So gentle that unless you are living in perfect communion with God, you never hear it.”

Lord, help us to hear your gentle whisper.Susan Page is friend of Pastor Tim and Susan's. For many years she has written devotionals for the National Prayer Guide of the Associated Gospel Churches of Canada where she serves as their Church Relations Coordinator / Health Benefits Manager.