Abba's Whisper: Listening for the Voice of God

There is a longstanding tradition that God whispers in our ears. He does not shout. It is in the holy whisper writes the Quaker mystic that we hear Abbas voice not in the noise of clamoring crowds or the incessant barrage of social media. To hear the voice of God is an awesome thing--to know his thoughts to intuit his love to participate in his good pleasure. It is both a gift to be received and art to be cultivated. It can call to us when we least expect; but we can train ourselves to become receptive listeners. We need help to separate the cacophony of voices calling to us from the quiet whisper of Abba--barely audible. Since our wordy world masks the quiet respectful voice of God we need to recognize the primary ways that Abba communicates with his creation. We must embrace practices that move us out of lives of distraction and exchange old patterns of living with new ways of seeing and hearing. From our deep Christian past we hear the voice of St. Augustine murmur Whisper in my heart I am here to save you. I shall hear your voice and make haste to clasp you to myself. In this beautifully written book the Daveys gently call us to cultivate our receptivity to the whisper of Abba. They draw on a stunningly rich variety of sources to guide the inner journey: poetry literature artistic drawings scripture personal story ancient wisdom theological truths spiritual writings and practical guidance. This volume is nourishment for the soul that both satisfies and leaves you yearning for more. --Janet Clark Senior Vice President Academic Tyndale University College & Seminary Written by two people whose lives and vocations have been lived out in the rhythms of a large cosmopolitan and multicultural urban setting Abbas Whisper causes you to pause listen and to wait. Alan and Beth Davey however are not proposing a simple contemplative journey; they want us to learn to be attentive so that the intimate soft whispers of God are felt and in turn elicit response. --Gary V. Nelson President Tyndale University College & Seminary; Author of Leadership in DisOriented Times Alan Davey is the senior pastor of Weston Park Baptist Church an inner-city church in Toronto Canada and Adjunct Professor of Christian Spirituality and Worship at Tyndale University College and Seminary. He is co-author of Climbing the Spiritual Mountain (2014). Elizabeth Davey is Associate Professor of English at Tyndale University College in Toronto Canada. She is co-author of Climbing the Spiritual Mountain (2014) and author of A Persevering Witness: The Poetry of Margaret Avison (2016).