Listen for God's Whisper

I spent all day on the couch today with a horrendous sore throat, earache, swollen glands, no energy, the whole nine yards. I was flattened with some sort of crud last night and spent all night not sleeping because my throat hurt so much. Thankfully, I was able to get into the doc this morning. He took a strep culture, ruled that out but also said I definitely had something and put me on antibiotics. I sure am thankful for easy access to medicine. Goodness gracious, how I wish all people could have that.

ANYWAY... in between a couple of naps and brainless TV, I was able to do email for about an hour. I read a surprise announcement from Saddleback Church, that their long-term youth pastor, Doug Fields, has resigned. I've always appreciated Doug's work -- in the funky and extremely small niche of youth ministry, he's a celebrity. His books are quality resources, and his articles always feel genuine.

I would recommend reading his entire resignation letter, but one paragraph in particular really stuck out, because I am amazed at how similar his experience sounds to my own exit this past February:

What am I going to do? Well, there's not another specific job that I'm departing to, but I am leaving staff to pursue some incredible opportunities to express my writing and teaching gifts. What I'm really doing is what I've taught you to do -- listen for God's whisper and obey it! Several people have said, 'You're crazy to leave a secure Saddleback Church job during this unstable market.' Humanly speaking, they're right... following God doesn't always make sense, but I know I need to do the right thing: listen and obey.

Looking back on these past several months, I can definitely say that I still have so much to learn. I have learned to love stepping out into the unknown. I have been humbled by not being able to find my identity in a title or job. I am grateful beyond words for how God has insisted, over and over, that I must learn to truly listen. Closely. Consistently. Quietly. God is talking to us all the time. How sad that we so rarely stop to truly have conversation.

¹¹ The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."


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. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ 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?" (1Kings 19)