Anyone ever feel like your not hearing from God? Ever feel like you are alone in what was supposed to be a two-sided relationship? Well your not alone! Often, at least in my own life, I feel isolated from from God and that he is never going to speak to me.
Here are some things that I think have helped me….
1. God has his own agenda
As much as I wish God worked on my clock; God does not even have a clock. In fact, he invented time. Humans were smart enough to invent the clock …. but God invented time! That is hard to argue with. It is very easy to get frustrated with God and the perceived lack of communication. But it is important to remember that its much better to stay on God’s timeline than our own.
2. God’s will in my life has always been better than my own.
Abraham and Sarah were tired of waiting for a baby that they took the matter into their own hands…how well did that work out BTW? I was told once that relationships were like farts, if you force it its probably crap. The same is true for following our own plans. Every time I tried to do my own thing I regretted it.
3. Sometimes I just need to stop, be still, and know that He is God.
I also need to realize that often God IS speaking. It is I who refuses to stop and be patient and listen for His voice…and his sheep always know his voice.
I will end with an illustration about knowing God’s voice.
A Lesson in Sheep Calling
References: Ezekiel 3:16 – 21; John 10:2 – 4, 27; Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:17; James 3:1; 5:19 – 20
Bill Donahue tells of a lesson he learned while visiting a farm where two of his students lived. When their father, Tom, asked if Bill would help call in the sheep, Bill enthusiastically agreed. Sheep calling was like preaching, he thought, as he watched twenty-five sheep graze.
“Go ahead,” Tom dared Bill. “Call them in.”
“What do you say?” Bill asked.
“I just say, ‘Hey, sheep! C’mon in!’ ”
No sweat, Bill thought. A city kid with a bad back and hay fever could do this. He began speaking, but Tom interrupted. “You are seventy-five yards away, downwind, and they have their backs to you. Yell! Use your diaphragm, like they teach you in preaching class.”
Bill took a deep breath and put every inch of stomach muscle into a yell that revival preachers around the world would envy: “Hey, sheep! C’mon in!” The blessed creatures didn’t move. Not one even turned an ear.
Tom smiled sarcastically. “Do they teach you the Bible in that seminary? Have you ever read, ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me’?” Raising his voice only slightly, he said, “Hey, sheep! C’mon in!” All twenty-five sheep turned and ambled toward Tom.
“Now, don’t you ever forget,” Tom said to Bill. “You are the shepherd to my kids.”
— Based on Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson, Building a Church of Small Groups
(Zondervan, 2001)
i find it most ironic that I am furthest from Him, at least in how I feel, when I am learning the most about him. I know that makes no sense. But it is often in my times of learning ABOUT him that i forget that I am supposed to walk WITH him. Its hard sometimes. I find myself getting on my knees when I messed up or I need him… Need some refreshment. There are many days I am just not listening. Good post Justin.
That’s a great point Noah. I find the same to true for me as well. God has a way of meeting us when we are in the valley of life. I know it has been true for me that when I am sunk the lowest, I find that the Lord is there! Not so much in a Thessalonian way ;)
I love your honesty, Justin! It is refreshing to know that I am not alone in those times when I doubt that I hear God clearly. Sometimes I think we make hearing His voice more complicated than it has to be. I once heard that He uses our favorite things to speak to us. I know this to be true of me. Some of my favorite things are music and movies. Many times He will awaken me with a song or a lyric. I say a little prayer before a movie starts that God would reveal Himself to me through the movie. No matter what movie I watch, I can always walk away with some nugget of truth from Him. Take for instance your love of fishing. Fishing requires patience and stillness and trust..the same that hearing His voice requires patience, stillness and trust. Trust that He speaks to you and your ears and heart can hear Him. He’s got so much to share with you.
One of the things that I feel the church has destroyed is honesty in our walks. Tamarah I think that we ALL have problems hearing the voice of the Lord. Even worse, sometimes we just do not want to!
But the modern church is very concerned with appearance and there is usually no room for doubts or uncertainty. But Jesus is big enough to handle our doubts :)