Post 131 / The Next Language

Intimacy with Him

Javanese love their birds — especially the ones that sing. Within a stone’s throw of my house in this neighborhood I have counted more than ten songbirds that hang on their owners’ porches and sing. They even have singing competitions.

One of the most vocal birds with a long, complicated repertoire is the mumbai or what ornithologists would call the White-Rumped Shama. At least four of the ten birds in this neighborhood are mumbai. People are flattered when you stop and talk or whistle to their birds. When you can’t speak the local language, it is a pleasant short cut in communication — at least the birds seem to understand.

I started paying attention to a young mumbai that hangs at the little store next door. It never seemed to have anything to say until one day I noticed it was actually singing but with an extremely quiet voice.

A couple times a day I swing in to whistle to him. He noticed that I appreciated his singing and would listen to him for minutes. About half the time his cage is shrouded but even with the shroud on when I whistle to him he jumps down and gets as close as he can to where I am and starts singing his heart out. He even lays down on the floor to get close to my level. I will try to share his picture and his singing if I can get it. And, for the record, I have never given a single morsel to this bird to eat to invite such attention from him. All I have lent is my ear.

Play this to hear the bird sing:

 

The only thing that inhibits his singing is if someone like his owner shows up or another neighbor mumbai starts singing louder. I think this little bird is shamed into silence.

I enjoy his meek quiet one-on-one trills. And, I really don’t enjoy raucous, loud birds so we get along famously.

On what might at first seem to be an entirely different subject, we have been hearing a lot about the revival at Asbury College and beyond. That awakening has been identified with intimacy with God — a very worthy state of being.

I heard a testimony from a team in the middle east who had given up on having a Gospel outreach in a very closed and resistant village. As they were leaving, one of the team caught about twelve seconds of activity being streamed from the auditorium in Asbury. It encouraged the team to return to the village and the result was that the entire village turned to Christ that night.

There is great power when man and God are locked in communion directly. I believe Jesus witnessed to that when He instructed His disciples to go into a closet and close the door to say their prayers. God hears and rewards those quiet prayers more than prayers that are loud public displays.

I think my little mumbai friend has taught me just a little of what God must feel when our words and songs are for His ears only. He will reward that intimacy. May we all seek it and experience it.

God Bless,

Larry DeVilbiss

Global Recordings Network USA

If you are interested in learning how to share links on social media that will promote use of our recordings and the Gospel in general, please contact RolandHeck@GlobalRecordings.Net

Previous “The Next Language” posts
Those Other Sheep 6 – BC – Post 130
Those Other Sheep 5 – High Places – Post 129
Those Other Sheep 4 — Balaam – Post 128
Those Other Sheep 3 — in the OT – Post 127
Those Other Sheep 2 – Post 126
Those Other Sheep 1 – Post 125
Cow Boys – Post 124
Java Land – Post 123
Nations Rejoicing – Post 122
Is It For Nought? – Post 121
Flying Ants – Post 120
Sunda: Cirebon – Post 119
God’s Winks – Post 118
Chain Links – Post 117
The Hunt, part 3 – Post 116
Torah Meditations – Post 115
The Hunt II – Post 114
Reset – Post 113
The Hunt – Post 112
Bit by Bit – Post 111
The Dark Side – Post 110
All or Nothing – Post 109
The Emptying – Post 108
Back to the Crib – Post 107
Truly Sustainable Service – Post 106
The Mountain Taker – Post 105
Give Me That Mountain – Post 104
Epicenter of Languages – Post 103
Holy Envy – Post 102
Watchman – Post 101
First the Blade – Post 100
Marghi – Post 99
Talents – Post 98
Berom – Post 97
God is my Wit(h)ness – Post 96
Scarlet Chested Sun Bird – Post 95
Fountains of Water – Post 94
A Glorious Landing – Post 93
Tale of Three Sisters – Post 92
Collaboration – Post 91
Pick Your Fears Carefully – Post 90
Mixteco del Progreso – Post 89
Go – Post 88
Those Word Lists – Post 87
Altars – Post 86
Oh, for a Thousand Tongues – Post 85
Voices in the Wilderness – Post 84
Nigeria – First Impressions – Post 83
From the Land of Nod – Post 82
Tribute to Mexico – 1967 – 2022 – Post 81
Miniaturization – Post 80
Knowing The Times – Post 79
God Comes to a Dirty World – Post 78
Corn in Mexico – Post 77
When the Church Says No – Post 76
War – Post 75
Theirs Is the Kingdom – Post 74
The Hippie Era Lives On – Post 73
Genesis of a Recording Set – Post 72
Back Tracking – Post 71
Witnesses- Post 70
Who Is Your Owner? – Post 69
An Unsolicited Endorsement – Post 68
Oral Tradition – Post 67
Works of  Man – Post 66
Deliverance – Post 65
New Discoveries – Post 64
The Wall of Pain – Post 63
Is There a Place for the Gospel in Your Story – Post 62
The Love Pyramid – Post 61
Obsession – Post 60
Verb Tenses in Hebrews – Post 59
The Unseen Weapon – Post 58
The Gospel Arrives in Zapoteco:Elotepec – Post 57
Fishing – GRN Style – Post 56
A New Day in Mexico – Post 55
Seeking – Post 54
Pick Your Battles – Post 53
How Big Is Your God? – Post 52
A Muted Gospel? – Post 51
Dedication Service for Marcos – Post 50
Two Weeks, Two Months, Two Years – Post 49
What Will You Give to Jesus – Post 48
Special Assignment – Post 47
The Good and the Best – Post 46
How Many Languages Are There? – Post 45
Verifying Speech Varieties – Post 44
Those God Things – Post 43
Meet Notch, the Desert Cottontail – Post 42
The Lost Languages – Post 41
The Rest of the Yoke – Post 40
What About Those Last Languages – Post 39
A Yoke That Fits – Post 38
The Other Side – Post 37
It Is Finished – Post 36
On the Ground in Culiacan – Post 35
I Will Go With Thee – Post 34
Unseen Warfare – Post 33
God of the Gaps – Post 32
The Father of Faith Missions – Post 31
WAIT – Post 30
Our Ultimate Weapon – Post 29
What Are You Doing Here – Post 28
Recordist Training Course Update – Post 27
Still Shameful – Post 26
Numbers Update – Post 25
The Gospel and Idolatry – Post 24
Could Ye Not Pray – Post 23
John the Baptist and the New Normal – Post 22
Genesis of a Script – Post 21
Embena Experiences – Post 20
An Easter Like No Other – Post 19
Go Or Stay Home – Post 18
The Next Language – Post 17
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