Review:
Hybels’ book is replete with examples from his own life and from hundreds of
people at Willow Creek Church who have heard the whispers of God. He has an
important chapter called “Light for dark nights of the soul” where he describes
the times in his own life when he has felt a darkness separating him from God. He
also describes times of his own failure. Yet, in those times God has always
spoken. His honest chapter on promptings for parenthood is equally helpful. In
addition, he has an excellent chapter on “the soul piercing whispers of God” regarding
injustice. He describes his own journey to spend himself on behalf of the
hungry, deal with issues of racial injustice, tear down the systematic
inequalities that kept the scales ‘tilted to the white man’s side’ and make
sure Willow Creek is a house of prayer for all races, all cultures and all
ethnicities.His closing comments summarize the content and value of the book:
“At
the moment [when you meet Jesus after death] you’ll look back at every
intersection of your life and see that it was worth saying yes to God’s
whispers. You’ll remember those relational intersections when you heeded
whispers for patience and grace. You’ll remember those financial intersections
and be glad you handled your money in a God honoring way. You’ll recount the
vocational forks in the road when He said ‘Trust me just one more time’ – and
you did. You’ll remember the moral cross-roads you faced where He saved you
from ditch after ditch. And you’ll remember myriad spiritual turning points
where your loving father provided his clear whispers of guidance” (Bill Hybels, The
Power of a Whisper, Hearing God. Having the Guts to Respond. Zondervan
2010, p. 260).
That kind of obedient
listening to God’s voice is the normal Christian life. Hybels’ book is an easy
to read, practical and clear detailing of how the journey can be true for every
Christ-follower. A very valuable asset
to one’s discipleship library.
M.L.
Codman-Wilson, Ph.D. 10/31/13
The Beginning of Hybels’ journey
As a young Christian teenager
Hybels was asked: “‘What are you going to do with your life that will last
forever? I have no doubt about your making money and racking up a ton of
achievements…I’m just curious what you will do that will outlive you and all of
your earthly accomplishments…What are you going to do to serve people? Because
people are the only commodity that make it to the next life you know…Bill, I’m
going to issue you a challenge, why not put your whole life in God’s
hands?...Live your life wide open to God, see where His way takes you. I have a
feeling you’ll never regret it.’ Hybels said to God, ‘You want to lead my life
fully, God? Alright then, let’s see what You can do’” (pp. 27, 28).
Excerpts:
“A certain number of
whisperers that come our way [from God] will drive us to our knees and stretch
our faith like nothing else. So be it. We only live once and I much prefer the
idea of standing before God one day, having done His bidding to the best of my
understanding, then to face Him knowing full well that I ignored his voice and
sidestepped the tougher promptings I received” (pp.36-37).
“By the still small voice of
God, our lives are flooded with personal assurance, correction, insight guided
from above. By our heavenly Father’s wisdom, we are directed, aided, changed
and eventually grown up…Throughout all of history God has communicated…The
issue isn’t whether or not God is communicating; its whether or not we have
ears to hear what he says” (p. 50). “God tends to speak to people who want to hear from
Him. He tends to offer divine direction to those who are willing to order their
daily lives around receiving input from Him. I recommend reading and reflecting
on a biblical passage and then saying to God, ‘If you have anything to tell me,
I’m very eager to hear it.’ Then just listen”(p.
96).
Be sure your direction comes from God
“Can divine direction be
misunderstood or lost in translation as it makes it way from heaven down to
earth?…The honest answer is yes…Even though God’s whispers are rarely tangible,
there are concrete steps we can take to help us discern if we are hearing from
God, or hearing from the bad sushi we ate last night” (p. 91).
1.
“The first filter
is to simply ask God ‘is this message truly from you?...
2.
Is it scriptural?
I ask myself if I could imagine Jesus taking whatever action I’m considering
taking. If I can’t imagine Jesus following suit I feel my wires might have
gotten crossed…
3.
Is it wise?...
4.
Is it in tune
with your own character?…I caution people against running headlong into a field
that is foreign to their wiring patterns, their education, their expertise, and
their experience in life thus far…
5.
What do the
people you most trust think about it?...Whenever you sense that God is speaking
to you, find two or three veteran Christ followers – preferably people who know
you well and who are further down the spiritual path than you are – and take
some time to describe the situation to them in detail. Humbly ask them…is this
the voice of God I’m hearing? Or in your estimation did I get my wires crossed”
(pp. 98-106).
God speaks through His Word
“The most predictable way to
hear from heaven is to read and apply God’s word. When you increase your
biblical arrangement you increase your odds that you will hear from God –
that’s as complicated as it gets…Once God’s wisdom gets written on your mind
and heart, your actions feel compelled to obey…Fill your head with scripture.
Most of the prompting we receive at critical decision points in life come as
the Holy Spirit reminds us of scriptures that we already know. We hear scriptures
that reinforce biblical truths and we understand immediately what the Holy
Spirit is trying to say to us” (pp.117,
108). When we know Scripture, we can use scripture as
Jesus did to counter Satan’s lies after you sin. Satan says:
1.
“A true Christ
follower never would have done what you did…
2.
A Holy God will
never forgive a sin like that…
3.
Your family and
friends will never respect you again when they’ve found out what you’ve done…
4.
Your church will
never open its arms to you again…
5.
You will never be
able to be used by God again. Your sin mocked God’s holiness and God will not
be mocked” (pp.136-137).
“God has given us full access
to his wisdom, full assurance of his faithfulness and full availability of his
power through the pages of the Scripture. Some scriptural whispers are admonishing,
some are correcting, some are filled with delight and some bring challenges our
way” (p.141).
God Speaks Through Others
“Everybody needs a Nathan and
lovers of God all would do well to cultivate a ‘David’ state of mind. A ‘David’
state of mind can mean the difference between continuing down a path destined
for self-destruction or turning from that path toward life and restoration…If
you and I claim to believe God’s word, inevitably the time will come when we
will need some help applying it to our lives. We need others…to help us achieve
the righteousness we crave…As I reflect on the good direction God has whispered
in my life, I realize a major portion has come from the lips of trusted
friends…The well-timed, well-placed counsel of friends can put you on the fast
track to freedom in this life – freedom from self-defeating
beliefs…self-defeating behavior…relational dynamics that are dysfunctional” (pp.193-205).
“You Step Up to This Issue”…
“God cares deeply about a
litany of things but in Scripture certain passions rise to the top. In many
places in his Word, God specifically advocates for the poor, the orphaned and
more…’If you want to align yourself with the Father’s heart,’ he seems to say,
‘then pay attention to these thing I care most about.’ None of the things that
matter to God can be ignored by those who love him. But it’s been my
observation that sometimes God will assign a few of his issues to particular
followers in an accentuated way. He’ll hand out specific assignments by saying
‘on all these fronts keep a watchful eye, but in this area I want you to
step up’…persist in asking God what assignment he has in mind for you and then
stay wide open to what he says in reply”(p.
235).
Just “Say the Word”
“Every time I read the account
of the centurion’s faith, [who said to Jesus ‘You just say the word and my
servant will be healed’], I am nearly physically arrested with the desire to
follow Christ like that. I want Jesus’ influence to affect the entirety of my
life – my values, my relationships, my vocabulary, my finances, my agenda, my
physical health, my decision making, my political ideology. I want Jesus’ ways
to permeate who I am across the board…I have made bold declarations to God: ‘To
the best of my ability and with regular help from the Holy Spirit between now
and the grave I want to be a ‘just say the word’ follower of yours. You say it
and I’ll do it. You say it, and I’ll follow it. You say it, and I’ll obey it. You
say it, and I’ll carry it out. Whatever it is you want done in order for your
kingdom to advance God, you whisper the word and consider it done’” (pp.256, 258).
“You can choose today to be a
‘just say the word’ kind of follower. Someone who jumps at the chance to obey
the divine whisper sent straight from heaven to your upturned ear. You can
choose to live with an increased awareness of those whispers and an expanded
heart to follow through…when you surrender to all his ways” (p.259).