“The only thing worse than blindness is having sight but no vision.”- Helen Keller
“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”- 1 Corinthians 2:14
In Chapter 4 (“Sign Language”) of Whispers, Mark Batterson affirms his belief that God continues to speak in “various ways” (Hebrews 1:11) today. In addition, today we possess the advantage of Scripture as our sounding board. Also, Scripture provides checks and balances and reveals God’s perfect will.
Furthermore, because we’re smart in different ways and relate to God in different ways, we all hear God’s voice differently. Thus, God speaks in different languages to effectively reach our diverse personalities.
Therefore, Pastor Batterson focuses on seven love languages. He begins with Scripture, the first and final word. Then, Mark explore six secondary languages: desire, doors, dreams, people, promptings, and pain. To effectively process these love languages, we need not only sight, but also vision. We must do more than hear. We must listen. And we listen with more than our ears – with our eyes and our hearts.
In 1971, psychologist Albert Mehrebian published his pioneering work on nonverbal communication. As a result of his research, he found that we assign 55% of credibility’s weight to body language, 38% to tone, and just 7% to actual words.
Of course, the words of Scripture represent much more than 7% of God’s revelation. But, Mark believes, God also speaks via body language- through His body, the church. But, to interpret body language, we need the gift of discernment to:
- spot closed doors and open doors
- recognize God-given dreams
- know which desires come from God
- obey the promptings of God
- put pain into perspective
- read people
Today’s question: What love languages do you believe God uses to inspire your vision? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The sovereignty of God – past our pay grade”
