{"id":1316,"date":"2018-02-21T14:41:35","date_gmt":"2018-02-21T14:41:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nickduffel.com\/?p=1316"},"modified":"2018-02-21T14:41:35","modified_gmt":"2018-02-21T14:41:35","slug":"book-review-whisper-by-mark-batterson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nickduffel.com\/?p=1316","title":{"rendered":"BOOK REVIEW: Whisper by Mark Batterson"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p> $\"Whisper-Book-Cover-Pages-Out.png\"$ Now as much as ever, people are desperate to hear the voice of God.\u00a0 They may be looking for direction, or confirmation, or maybe just assurance that God hasn\u2019t forgotten about them.\u00a0 Whisper: How To Hear The Voice Of God<\/em> by Mark Batterson addresses this desire.\u00a0 Batterson\u2019s premise is that God speaks in many different ways, and we just need to attune our ears to his different \u201clove languages.\u201d\u00a0 The seven languages that Batterson identifies are Scripture (which he highlights as the most authoritative of the seven), Desires, Doors, Dreams, People, Promptings, and Pain.\u00a0 As Batterson explores each of these \u201clanguages,\u201d what emerges is a warm, personal book that is both helpful and worshipful.\n

What is obvious from the very first page is that Batterson loves science and history.\u00a0 He is known as a very wide reader, and I once heard Batterson say in an interview that every \u201c-ology\u201d is ultimately \u201ctheology.\u201d\u00a0 Scientific and historical vignettes are all throughout the book.\u00a0 While the vast majority of them are enlightening, I found this practice to be more tiresome in this book than in some of Batterson\u2019s other books.\u00a0 At times, I found myself wondering if perhaps a story or two were merely padding.\u00a0 Batterson is an incredible writer\u2014a skilled wordsmith, who is able to connect with his reader in a conversational way.\u00a0 However, he can be over-earnest and maudlin at times, and the over-abundance of emotional stories doesn\u2019t help this, and may even serve to distract from his main points.<\/p>\n

But now I\u2019m being nit-picky.\u00a0 Overall, this is an outstanding book.\u00a0 As I read it, I found myself moved to worship on multiple occasions.\u00a0 If a book about hearing from God causes the reader to want to worship and pray, then the author has done his work well.\u00a0 My favorite moments of this book are when Batterson emphasizes that hearing from God is essential for our well-being, not just a spiritual perk.\u00a0 He goes so far as to say, \u201cwhat we perceive to be relational or emotional or spiritual problems are, in fact, hearing problems.\u201d\u00a0 This got me thinking, how often do I try to help people with their problems when what I really should do is help them reconnect with God on a conversational level?<\/p>\n

I recommend this book for those who are seeking to hear from God, and I pray that Batterson\u2019s words would remind them of the true nature of God\u2014that he is a deeply relational God.\u00a0 After all, you have to be in close proximity if you are going to hear a whisper.<\/p>\n

Please Note: This book was gifted as a part of the\u00a0Blogging for Books<\/a>\u00a0Reviewers Program in exchange for my unbiased review of this work. This has in no way influenced my opinion or review of this work.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"