“When crisis comes, it exposes our assumptions and reveals our faulty foundations.”
Samuel Whitefield
Have you ever obeyed what you thought was God’s voice and experienced a trial afterward? That’s exactly what happened to me last month. I thought I did what God asked me to do, only to walk through adversity later. The worst part was that it caused affliction for others as well. I realize we sometimes experience backlash from the enemy when we obey the Lord. God also allows hard things to take place in part to mature us and to make us look more like Him. At times we may assume God is going to act a certain way because we obeyed.
For those of you who know me, you know that listening and obeying God’s voice is particularly important to me. In fact, it’s foundational to my intimacy with God. So, when I obeyed what I thought I heard, but it didn’t turn out like I thought, I questioned my ability to accurately hear God’s voice. My lack of trust to clearly hear God, led to a crisis of belief.
I noticed I was shutting down and isolating myself, becoming quiet, having little emotion, and a loss of desire to minister. At that point I knew something was wrong and I needed to process my heart to see what was going on inside of me. I didn’t want to sweep my hurt and confusion under the rug of my heart, but instead have a healthy emotional heart.
Often our hurts stem from the root of a lie. Sometimes those lies are buried so deeply, they’re not easy to see or understand at first. I asked the Holy Spirit what lie I was believing so I could tell myself the truth, God’s truth, as part of my healing process. The Grand Counselor gave me revelation that I believed the lie that I don’t clearly hear God. He followed up by providing me with scriptural truth which He wants me to focus on and pray into for 2022. “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Luke 1:45). Thus, my word for this year to zero in on, is believe.
Luke 1:45 is the opposite of what I was feeling. It’s the answer to the tug of war within my heart. How kind of the Lord to speak truth and hope back into me and to restore rest and peace once again. I desire to hear God’s voice because any close relationship depends on clear communication. Correctly hearing and obeying God’s voice doesn’t always mean the blessing of an easier life. But His goodness never changes.
“...Crisis reveals the depth of our faith.”
Samuel Whitefield
Relevant Reflection:
Have you ever obeyed what you thought was God’s voice and experienced a trial afterward? Did it lead to a crisis of belief? If so, how did God restore your belief?
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