He Speaks in the Silence: Finding Intimacy with God by Learning to Listen

Comer, Diane

ISBN 10: 0310341795 / ISBN 13: 9780310341796

Published by Zondervan, 2016

Seller Inventory # 0310341795-3-34688247

Synopsis:

He Speaks in the Silence is the story of Diane Comer’s search for the kind of intimacy with God every woman longs for. It is a story of trying to be a good girl, of following the rules, of longing for a satisfaction that eludes us.

Disappointed with all Diane had been told was supposed to fulfill her, she begged God in desperation to give her more.

And He did. But first He took her through a trial so debilitating it almost destroyed what little faith she had.

He let her go deaf.

Like so many Christians, Diane thought she’d signed up for the “wonderful plan for your life” and deafness certainly didn’t fit her idea of a wonderful life. Yet in her brokenness, God met her and lifted her out of the pit of despair she was digging for herself. He lifted her onto the solid rock of real faith, and taught her to believe He is good even when life goes bad.

Using vivid parallels between her deafness and every woman’s struggle to hear God, this book reveals how Diane learned to listen to God, finding intimacy with her Savior and the soul deep satisfaction she longs for.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

He Speaks in the Silence

Finding Intimacy with God by Learning to Listen

By Diane Comer

ZONDERVAN

Copyright © 2015 Diane Comer
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-310-34179-6

Contents

Prologue, 9, 
1. In the Beginning ... a story I didn't want, 13, 
2. A Keeper of Rules ... a story that wasn't real, 29, 
3. The Fear and the Fury ... a story fraught with danger, 47, 
4. The Beautiful No ... a story I didn't deserve, 65, 
5. Where the Rubber Meets the Road ... a story of learning the hard way, 79, 
6. Treasures in the Darkness ... a story of beauty in brokenness, 103, 
7. Leaning In ... a story of letting go, 125, 
8. Alluring Me to Listen ... a story about intimacy, 145, 
9. The Sound of Rain ... a story of His presence, 167, 
10. A Heart to Hear ... a story for you too, 189, 
A Word of Thanks To ..., 199, 
Notes, 201, 

CHAPTER 1

In the Beginning ...

a story I didn't want

* * *

At first it was the little things.

I remember standing outside one warm afternoon, saying goodbye to my friends with their babies and toddlers. We'd spent the morning talking, as women do, about our hopes for our children and what their futures might hold. All the way out to their minivans, we were chatting away animatedly while our children ran in circles, loth to go home to quiet and naps.

Suddenly all my friends were silent, looking at me with question marks where their eyebrows rose.

"What? What's the matter?" I hurriedly inventoried my kids. Had something happened?

"Aren't you going to get that?"

Still confused, I just stared back at my friends, at all those worried eyes.

"The phone! Aren't you going to get the phone?" The incredulous look on their faces brought me up short.

These were the days before cell phones or texting or email or even answering machines. To not answer that phone hanging on the kitchen wall was rude, even risky. It could be important. It might be an emergency. No one ignored that insistent bell tone. Ever.

Suddenly, in the shocked silence of my friends, I heard the barest whisper of a ring. Again. "Oh my!" I dashed off to get it, heart thumping, breathless — not from the run across my suburban lawn, but from the terrible realization that what I'd been hiding could no longer be ignored.

Ever since a bout with pneumonia a few months before, I'd been having trouble hearing. Nothing drastic, just some subtle hints that perhaps my ears were plugged. Yes, I'd missed hearing the phone ring a few times, gotten impatient with everyone's mumbling, failed to wake up when my alarm buzzed. But with all the delightful chaos of my busy household, who could blame me? Babies and toddlers and sleep deprivation could easily explain my fumbles, couldn't they? Surely I was making a big deal out of nothing. The eyebrows covertly raised behind my back by my husband only irked me more, and I lashed out at him in annoyance, a thin veil over my fear.

That ringing phone would become my nemesis, underscoring what I was trying to deny. When I did happen to hear it ring, I couldn't tell who was on the line. All voices began blending into sameness. I couldn't tell the difference between Lynn and Kim and the gym. Once, I carried on a confusing conversation for ten minutes with Stacey, only to discover I was talking to Lucy.

Alarm clocks were becoming useless. Cookies burned in the oven while the buzzer droned silently. The frogs along the creek bed lost their voices. Birds failed to sing. What was happening?

One worn-out Monday morning, I gathered my rambunctious little on

Bibliographic Details

Title: He Speaks in the Silence: Finding Intimacy ...
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: 2016
Binding: paperback
Condition: Good