November 6, 2006

The Soul Whisperer
by Pastor George Van Alstine

The 1998 film ”The Horse Whisperer” starred Robert Redford as a reclusive cowboy with a mystical gift for communicating with and influencing hard-to-manage horses. On cable TV we have been introduced to another unique talent in the popular show “The Dog Whisperer,” in which trainer Cesar Millan tackles tough behavior problems in dogs, helping their owners learn how to re-establish control of them.

Not long before he went to the cross, Jesus promised his followers that he would send the Holy Spirit to live in them and among them. The promised Holy Spirit would be their Soul Whisperer, controlling and directing their lives in a chaotic world.

Jesus’ promise of the Soul Whisperer’s coming, recorded in John’s Gospel, includes these wonderful reassuring words: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (John 14:27) “Peace”—the word itself brings a calm feeling of well-being. In all of life’s activity and anxiety, the Holy Spirit whispers to a believer’s soul: “Shh. Calm down. It’s all right. God’s in control.”

But surrounding Jesus’ word about how the Holy Spirit brings peace are some interesting behavioral concepts that are essential to the experience of soul-peace. First, there is that intriguing title Jesus gives the Holy Spirit, used four times in Jesus’ discourse to the disciples (John 14;16 and 26, 15:26, 16:7). In the familiar King James Version it is translated “Comforter,” but most modern versions use a word such as “Advocate” or “Counselor,” reflecting linguistic scholarship that shows the Greek word was commonly used in a legal sense, referring to a lawyer or an agent/representative. With this meaning, we can see that the peace the Soul Whisperer brings the believer is not just a good feeling but a sense of security that her/his case is being well-represented before God the Father.

There are other interesting aspects of the Holy Spirit’s inner work that we may not see the first time we read Jesus’ words in John 14-16. Notice the following: he is the source of truth (14:6); he is our teacher (14:26); he is our guide (16:13); he is our moral authority (16:8-11). These are elements in the development of structure, purpose, meaning and direction which had previously been missing in our lives. Without these aspects of the Soul Whisperer’s ministry, we would not be able to experience true peace.

If you’ve watched “The Dog Whisper” this will seem familiar to you. When Cesar Millan begins to work with an out-of-control dog, “peace” is not his first goal. The first thing he has to do is establish authority and control. The dog has to learn who’s the boss before there can be any peace. Cesar has to retrain the dog’s owners as well, because they have been trying to have a feel-good relationship with the dog before the ground rules have been established, and so they have been enablers of the bad behavior.

Well, our Soul Whisperer will ultimately bring us peace and security. But the peace he will bring will be deep and lasting. To lay a solid foundation for this peace, some of the first lessons the Spirit whispers to our souls are about truth, obedience and discipline. The chaos in our souls must first be managed, harnessed. Then our Soul Whisperer can bring the peace Jesus promised.