Tuesday, January 20, 2015

A Word in the Night – It’s not a Dream

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.   Romans 10:17

Have you ever been in a situation that was confusing as to what you thought you needed to do?  I am talking about a situation that you really could go two different directions and either might be right.  These situations are the hardest in life.  There is no good answer and too many options that could be perceived as right.  You may have talked to friends, or been given unsolicited advice from many well-meaning people.  You may have prayed and prayed and asked for God’s clear direction but still feel unsure about what to do.  That is when you do nothing, but pray and wait. 

Not too long ago I was in a situation similar to the one I have described.  I had received many words of advice and concern from friends, and I had prayed long and hard asking for God’s clear direction.  I knew there were some things I could do but they were the hard way to deal with it and I really just wanted God to fix it for me. 

Then one night I was awake in the middle of the night taking care of a sick family member and while I was waiting to be able to go back to sleep, I reached down and picked up one of the many Christian books, by a very well-known and credible author, I had been reading and scouring for answers to my situation.  I literally opened the book to a random page and right there, on the very page were words that seemed to be a direct answer of how to handle the situation.  It really was more than advice, almost a command on how it should be done.  It seemed so black and white, so simple, complicated because it is a complicated issue to deal with, but clear as a bell as to what I believed God was saying to me.

Needless to say, I was totally taken off guard and could not believe that this had happened to me!  In the middle of the night God might as well have appeared in my room and spoke to me in a deep ethereal voice with a cloud of smoke surrounding Him. I was a little discouraged as well because it was not God fixing it for me; it was me, minimally equipped but charged by Him.  

God Still Writes on the Wall (Sometimes)
It doesn’t happen often but there are rare times that God truly just plants the answer you have been seeking smack dab in front of your face.  When this happens it is so obvious what the right answer is.  However, sometimes that may not be what we wanted the answer to be.  Sometimes it requires action on our part that is uncomfortable and hard.  Answers to our prayers sometimes require us to do hard things. 

Hard Things
Many times I think the answer that God gives so clearly in the end may be the answer He has been gently trying to give us all along and we have not been listening closely enough.  Maybe we have been ignoring the answer He is giving because it is the hard thing we don’t want to do.  Don’t turn a deaf ear, waiting to hear the response you want.  That response may not be the best answer for you, or for others involved.  It changes things when the difference between the answer you want and the answer you get is someone else’s spiritual well-being.  Of course God alone can save people but you may be the person they will listen to and the instrument He intends to use to open their eyes.  It is not a fun job but it is an important job. 

So when you are praying and waiting, be sure you are really listening to hear everything God wants you to know.  He might be speaking to you already!

Scripture to Claim:
How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart.
Psalm 119:2

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