The Sound of a Low Whisper

Hello friend, 

Thank you for your interest in and support for the ministry I am doing. 

The Sound of a Low Whisper

Before I share ministry updates from October, I want to share some thoughts on the following scripture with you. I pray that it will encourage you. 

And after the earthquake a fire, 
but the Lord was not in the fire. 
And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.
1 Kings 19:12

Many people say that they want God to respond to them in a loud, audible voice, a billboard message, a supernatural moment—something dramatic and obvious. 

In 1 Kings 19 we read that after the great victory on Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah fled for his life in despair to Mount Horeb. In verses 11-12, the Lord instructed Elijah to “‘go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.”

It was in the still, small voice that God spoke. 

I encourage you not to get distracted by the busyness of life. We need to equip ourselves to recognize the voice of God however He chooses to speak into our lives.

1 Kings 19:13 says:

And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ 

I believe that in that moment, Elijah knew He could trust and rely on God to be his ever-present help.

In the book Experiencing God, my friend Henry Blackaby offers us seven realities of experiencing God:

  1. God is always at work around you.
  2. God pursues a continual loving relationship with you that is real and personal.
  3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
  4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
  5. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith in action.
  6. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
  7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.

I want to draw your attention to number four. I encourage you to order a copy of Experiencing God and begin reading and studying to grow your awareness of how God is speaking and working in your life today. 

If you are able, I suggest gathering weekly with a group of people at your church, your home, your office, or a coffee shop to study and discuss this book. My hope and prayer is that you will experience the life-transforming power of Christ and take time daily for the Holy Spirit to work in and through you. As God speaks, you know you can trust and obey Him.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for working and speaking to us through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church. 

Lord, may we seek You daily to know and experience You. 

I ask that You bless the people reading this and encourage them to be lifelong followers of Jesus. 

In Jesus’s Name,
Amen

I trust these words from 2 Kings 5 encourage you. I live my life as a multiplier and am grateful for how God continues using me in His work. As you start a group in your church, home, office, or coffee shop, ask the Lord to put people in the group that will be multipliers. As you lead through a study like Experiencing God or some other Bible study, you will begin seeing the Lord use you as a multiplier. Be intentional and willing to surrender and humble yourself to the Lord. Let me know when you start a group so I can pray Matthew 28:19-20 over you, “as you go make disciples,” and cheer for you.

Ministry Updates

I am grateful for the opportunities the Lord gives me to lead prayer meetings, to preach, and to teach. 

Prayer Ministry Updates
The in-person prayer meetings are growing, and I am grateful to the Lord. 

The call-in prayer meetings are exciting and a blessing as we pray. 

The Monday Prayer meeting has taken on meaningful opportunities to pray for moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers, and children and grandchildren of all ages. 

I also receive many texts and emails from people that don’t make the call but ask us to pray. Please give the prayer call a chance and join us in the coming days. You can listen in if you are unsure about praying, as this will be a good classroom for you to learn to pray and see the rhythm of prayer. We keep things confidential, and those praying may say their name, but you are not required to introduce yourself. So if you have a personal request, you can remain anonymous to all the callers. I will be aware, but no one else. Please consider giving it a try. I and many others can testify praying will change your life.

I lead three weekly prayer calls, as well as being a guest on other prayer calls. Below is a schedule of the calls. I invite you to join me on one or all of them.

Saturdays @ 6:30 am CST
We pray for the Seven Mountains of Influence

Mondays @ 10:00 am CST
We pray for Parents and Families

Tuesdays @ 12:00 pm CST
We pray for the Government, Elections, and more

I welcome you to join me on any of these calls. You can text me at 615-260-4752 to receive the call-in number and code to join the call. You can also text me your request, and I will join you in praying for the need before you.   

Church Ministry Updates
I was recently asked to preach for a church that is not growing, nor the town where it is located. It is not the way you would hope a church would go. The people present are sweet, but they don’t see the church remaining open for more than a year. I am grateful for their trust, as they have asked me to walk with them through the closing process. I have asked if they would seek the heart of the Lord first as they consider what God could do as they walk this road.

Today, I encourage you to pray for the church where you belong and that it will be a strong Bible-preaching, Bible-teaching, Bible-believing church. If it is not, then get out now.

I am extremely grateful the Lord continues to use me to walk with pastors and other churches seeking the counsel of ministries like Celebrate Recovery, Evangelism Discipleship, Prayer, and Missions. I am grateful for these conversations and for sharing truths that transform people’s lives.

Please reach out if your church, Bible study group, or friends are coming together for fellowship and would be interested in learning more about prayer. I would love to connect and see how God might use me to equip and encourage people to be involved in ongoing prayer ministry.

If you know of churches looking to start discipleship or recovery ministries and need someone to equip them, please feel free to share my information.

Join Me in Prayer

As the National Prayer Director for the Family Research Council, I am grateful for the opportunity to gather and pray with others in Washington, DC. I lead a prayer meeting on the second Tuesday of every month and welcome you to join me in DC to pray.

Thank You

Thank you for your continued prayer and support for the ongoing work and ministry. If you ever want to take time for coffee or a meal, give me a call or text me. I would love to share in person what God is doing in my life, work, and ministry.

With a Grateful Heart,

Pastor Jay