Toward the end of Chapter 2 of The Power of a Whisper, Pastor Bill Hybels reflects on the New Testament account of the apostle Paul’s conversion, noting that Paul made the decision to listen to God’s whisper. Because Paul chose, through the Holy Spirit’s power, the path of obedience to God, he had a profound impact on Christian history.
The impact of Paul’s story was reinforced on the occasion of a meeting Pastor Hybels had with some pastors from around the country in Chicago. At that meeting, he asked them to talk about how they had come to faith in Christ. One of the participants mentioned that he came from a family that absolutely had no use for God. Their next door neighbors, in contrast, were devoted Christians. Prompted by God, the neighbors invited the participant’s family to attend church with them. The response was adamant- they wanted nothing to do with God, the neighbor’s church, or the neighbors themselves!
The participant was standing at the door and had heard every impolite word. Yet he tugged on his dad’s shirt and said that he would like to go to church. With visions of free babysitting, the parent’s allowed their son to go. Today that son leads a church on the east coast with thousands of worshippers. Obviously, the Christian next door neighbors weren’t the only people heeding God’s whisper that day. As Bill Hybels concludes:
“The issue isn’t whether or not God is speaking; it’s whether we will have ears to hear what He says.”
