All you hear is...silence! Not a peep. You've prayed. You've sought godly counsel. You've asked your friends. You've asked your family members. You've even consulted your spouse. Yet, you still hear nothing. Maybe you're trying to get a new job. Maybe you want a new car or a new house. Maybe this guy/gal is the one...or not. Maybe your health is "up in the air". Maybe you're trying to expand your family and it's not working out like you thought it would. You just need to hear a word from God.
It's not that He's not necessarily speaking...we just have to adjust how we are listening. Sometimes He talks through other people - the messenger. Sometimes the answer is right in front of our faces, but we have on blinders or have in our ear plugs. Or maybe we are distracted by things that add very little value to our daily lives. Other times, He's just waiting to see how much He hears FROM US.
I have several friends who have dealt with "church hurt" over the years. They've felt disappointed, disengaged, unwelcomed, offended, empty, and just plain hurt. With one particular friend I had to just break it down in the most simple terms, "When you find peace with a situation and surrender to Him, that's usually when God moves. Pay attention to the 'little things' around you...He'll make himself known". And, HE did make himself known. With another friend, God showed up through her child. It was the child who told the parents - in her small, soft voice - this is the church where we belong. Now they are in fellowship with a church family that had prayed for God to send them "help" to build their ministries. While they were praying, they were the answer to someone else's prayer! Prayer and the Scriptures are key to hearing what God has to say.
God can use anything and anybody to send you a message and to make Himself known. He even used a donkey once! The saying goes, "Sometimes when you wonder why you can't hear God's voice during your trials, remember the teacher is always quiet during the test". I contend that maybe we can't hear God's voice clearly because we're too busy talking...to the wrong person.
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