Date: January 16th, 2011
Speaker: Pastor Kevin Snyder
Title: The Power of a Whisper
INTRODUCTION
Years ago I heard the difference between Eastern shepherds and Western cattle ranchers. In Eastern culture, the shepherds lead the sheep. Psalm 23 says “The Lord is my shepherd…He leads me beside still waters.” In John 10:3 we hear Jesus say “and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
In the wild, wild west we often heard of “cattle drives”. The Western rancher generally gets behind the cattle and drives them to the destination.
Which picture resonates more with how you feel in your life?
Many of us know what it is like to feel “driven” – pushed from behind.
Common Drivers:
- Pushed by tradition
- Pushed by fear of reprisal
- Joke: Henpecked husband
- Pushed by urgency of need
- Won’t get done and that isn’t acceptable to you
- Pushed by our own ego needs
- Need for achievement or to be liked
- Pushed by financial pressure
- Pushed by our own rebellious desire to run our life
Isaiah 30:9 – 11
9 These are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.
10 They say to the seers,
“See no more visions!”
and to the prophets,
“Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
11 Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
Sometimes we are so bent and head-strong on our way (Bible called it “stiff-necked”) that we don’t want to hear God’s voice. We want to hear what we want to hear….things that make us comfortable, “pleasant things”
But interestingly God says we never totally seem to be able to squelch that whisper
v. 21 - 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.”
RESULTS OF BEING DRIVEN
- Resentment
- Pressure
- Anxiety & worry
- Fear
- Push-back (i.e “I may be sitting on the outside but I’m standing on the inside”
One of the goals of this series is that we might increasingly learn what it is like to be “led” rather than “driven”
I know I would like in my own personal life to experience being “led” over driven.
To hear more the whispers of God and to respond to those.
i.e.
As a parent I encountered those times when the whisper of God was so different than my natural reaction. Times when I wanted to react, to lash out, to laydown the law… but sensed this whisper to do things differently.Turned out far better.
i.e.
In my daily life I long to be more led and responsive to the Holy Spirit and his nudgings
i.e.
I know as a church leader I fear one thing …that what I am leading towards or what we are doing is not of God. I long to for that experience in the book of Acts where the leaders said “It seemed right to the Holy Spirit and to us.”
In Matthew 8:5 – 13 there is a story of a centurion.
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”
7 Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”
8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.…13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.
What strikes me about this centurion was he was a “Just Say the Word” Follower.
HOW ?
a. GETTING IN PLACE TO LISTEN
If we are going to hear the whispers of God we first need to lower the ambient noise and be able to hear his voice.
Every day or there needs to be a quiet time and place where you can allow God to speak to you.A time when you connect with him….sit in his presence. Allow his word to penetrate your heart and mind. Where you become consciously aware of his presence.
Time of quietness and prayer. Not just talking but listening as well.
Practise for next 4 weeks:
Specific actions:
- Set aside time at beginning or end of day to quiet oneself & connect.
- Bring all your anxious thoughts and concerns for the day and cast them on him
James 5:7 – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
b. REAFFIRM THESE 4 KEYS
Bruce Wilkinson says there are 4 keys to being Spirit-led and used to bring about God’s daily miracles. Whispers that lead to action (talk about different kinds next week)
1. The Master Key – Willingness and commitment to be God’s delivery person.
This is a prayer to be sent by God to do his work. To ask him to use you as His delivery person.You ask God regularly “Please , send me!”
“God is not sitting back while the centuries tick by, merely listening to angel choirs. Instead He is focused on dispatching miracle missions to meet needs on earth. Sometimes he sends angels. But for face-to-face work in the physical realm, God looks for people who will say yes.” (p. 58, Wilkinson)
He is looking for “Just say the Word “ followers.
“You are a delivery person. You are sent from Mission Central. Your job each day – maybe numerous times each day – is to deliver a package from God to someone else. What’s in the package? We don’t really know. We just know it is for the person’s good…..You & I were born to do more than just imagine what that would be like but to live it everyday.”
You are a delivery person. God will use you but you need to be willing to be a delivery person.
Living a whisper-led life is precipitated by willingness to be a delivery person, a servant…a just say the Word follower, “Speak Lord, for your servant listens”
2. The People Key – Have God’s heart for people.
This is where we need to pre-commit to yield my rights to Him whenever he asks and to serve those in need.
It’s easy to put ourselves first.
It’s easy to put our agenda first.
When we do that we tend to ask him to bless what we are doing and want to do, rather than asking him to send us on the miracle mission of His choice.
The issue here is : Do we have God’s heart for people?
i.e.
Struggles for managers & I have had as a pastor (keep this in mind). You have your work to get done. But “people” keep getting in the way. It’s easy to see people at times when we have our agenda or work to be done, to see people as “interruptions” rather than “God- appointments”
i.e.
This was the problem with the priest & Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan. They had their agenda. They probably heard God’s whisper “Help the man.” But ignored it because they’sd be late for work….become unclean by the man’s blood and not be able to work,. Maybe if the man wasn’t a Samaritan.
You see, these deliveries aren’t always to our preferred people
- It might be an unpopular person (Zaccheus)
- A social outcast (Samaritan woman at the well)
- An unacceptable interruption (lame man being lowered through the roof)
- Late night visitor (Nicodemus)
- Desperate person clutching at us in a crowd (woman suffering from a hemorrage)
These deliveries aren’t always at our preferred times
- Come at end of work day
- Come in the middle of something important
- Come in the middle of your son’s hockey game
Often God’s whispers to act will collide with my plans & purposes.
And so, to put ourselves in a place to hear and respond to God’s whispers we need to pre-commit to yield my rights to Him whenever he asks and to serve whoever in need.
Because it will often come when it’s inconvenient, and it will often be to people we don’t prefer.
If it always came when convenient, if it always came to serving people we like or prefer….we wouldn’t struggle. But the struggle is about yielding my rights to serve when I want and who I want.
i.e.
Story: change name – Gerald
Ministry to community youth….some pretty socially challenged youth that came into our church youth and church.
One year – family camp & asked church families to adopt one of these young people for the weekend – feed them, give them place to sleep….love them.
Gerald came – late & he & I were sitting on far side of the campfire.
Said some words to me that have always challenged me:
“There are only 2 people who have loved me in my whole life – God and this church.” (Wasn’t always sure about our love sometimes it was toleration).
Hearing God’s whispers and being used of God to do his everyday miracles requires laying down our rights and being willing to be to serve people – despite who it is and when it comes.
3. The Spirit Key – This is recognizing you aren’t in this alone. God is a partner with you. He is the One who makes this act of caring become an everyday miracle.
4. The Risk Key – This is the willingness to take a step of faith. To overcome your fear, your risk of embarrassment. This is the willingness in a given situation to step out of the boat.
i.e.
Ever been in a situation where felt nudge, but to do so could look really stupid or be embarrassing.
i.e.
Small group – women in group shared how she isn’t outgoing but God whispered after last Sunday’s service to approach a fellow and invite him to their small group. She felt embarrassed…didn’t see man’s wife….didn’t like doing this….but took risk
Monday night – that couple was in the small group and thanked her for having the courage to ask.
Most of the whispers of God to act are going to stretch you. They aren’t always going to be comfortable. They will usually call you out to be and do more than you think you can.
i.e.
Lawrence Reimer – when went to Teen Challenge Golf Tourney – needed sponsors.Every participant was asked to get $1500 of sponsorship. Let it be known I needed sponsors. And he took me for lunch and he asked; “How much do you need?”
I hemmed and hawed. And he said, “You need to learn to be bold enough to ask. You go back & then tell me what you need”
It was tough.
Finally I emailed and said I needed 250(?) but he could decide if that would be nickels, dimes, quarters, or loonies.(left off pennies cuz I knew he could do better than $2.50)
Doesn’t relate to whisper but does relate to risk. It’s hard. It can be uncomfortable.
But if we are willing to take the risk, we discover the partnership of the Holy Spirit and see some amazing things…discover He is already there.
CONCLUSION
The whisper-led life is an exciting way to live our lives….it turns everyday into an exciting adventure.
As we quiet ourselves each day to tune our ear to his whisper and pre-commit our heart to be his delivery person today.
Then we enter the day anticipating:
- What delivery does God have in mind for me today?
- Who? When?
- Where will I see God already working? (front row seat to see Holy Spirit’s activity)
- Will I have the courage to step out?
Maybe God has a delivery…
- to a Marta today – to someone who never feels seen
- To a Gerald – be the extension of Christ’s love
- To a newcomer – the hand that makes them feel included here
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The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Is 30:9-11
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Is 30:21
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 8:5-13