Trusting God in the “Darkness” (Part 5)

This will be the last in this series and I hope you have been blessed and challenged by the subject matter. I would love to hear your feedback on what you got out of the topic. If you have a unique story of a dark time in your life when God seemed silent yet the Lord taught you a valuable truth or lesson I would love to hear about it.

I would like to start this fifth article on walking with God in the darkness with a story from my past where the Holy Spirit taught me a valuable truth that has helped me during my adult life.

As we have explored the subject of walking in darkness and still trusting God I think of a passage in Exodus 14:14 when Israel was leaving Egypt and Pharaoh decided to pursue Israel to kill them. The Israelites started yelling at Moses and blaming him for this predicament they were in with their backs against the Red Sea. Moses tried to assure them that they would not die and God would indeed come to their rescue.  He said that they should not let fear control them and to be confident that…….

Exodus 14:14      “The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.”

If you read the complete story in Exodus you find that Moses was also scared along with the people. In their fear the Lord speaks to him so he could speak to the people.  Moses needed to speak to the Jewish people to “Get a Grip” and as he did so God spoke to him. When we are moving forward in the plan God has for our lives we won’t always hear the voice of God every inch of the way. I think part of the reason for that is we need to put into action and “Work Out” the details of that plan. Take for instance God’s calling of Abraham to leave his country and relatives and travel to the land he would show him. If he followed God’s directions God promised to bless him abundantly.

Genesis 12:1-3                                                                                                                                                                  

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; [3] And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.  And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

When we read stories like this we assume Abraham was told the route to take and all the details yet the scripture doesn’t say a word about such details. It is quite possible God did not speak to him until he arrived in Canaan. Why you might ask? Because God often waits to see what we will do, whether we will obey his directions or do our own will. When you read the complete story of Abraham’s life you find he often took “Detours” as he learned to trust God and his ways. The same is true with us when we become true followers of Christ. As young Christians we often make poor choices contrary to the known will of God and then find out we got off track in our walk. God often let’s our reaping and sowing confirm or deny whether we are following the last thing he spoke to us. In all this God lovingly tries to guide us and sometimes uses silence to motivate.

Let me share a story from my past that might illustrate this point. By the time I was about six years old in the Lord, about 23 years old naturally, I was working for a ministry that had me traveling all through Europe. I was offered a large position in the ministry to work in the America, but felt like the Lord told me to step away from full-time ministry for a season and go back home to California. I wasn’t sure why I was doing this shift but I trusted the Father’s voice.  Since my background was auto mechanics I got a job at a local Sears automotive shop and got plugged into a local church. Everything seemed to be falling into place however I was not hearing the Lord’s voice as much. Finally, after a number of weeks had passed and still no voice of God, I drove my car out to the cliffs along the coast. I parked and started praying fervently.  I soon started to weep uncontrollably while asking God what I had done wrong to offend him. I pleaded with him to talk to me! All of a sudden I heard the Lord speak with the simple instructions “To Be Quiet”…..so I was. Then I heard the Lord speak to my heart something that has guided me for many years since. Here is what he said.

“When you were in full-time ministry you needed me to speak regularly because you were responsible for many people and needed to have the “Word of the Lord” when leading them. I spoke to you so often and so clearly because I loved the people you were leading. Today, you are responsible only for me and waiting on my desires. I do not respond to you just because you want me to speak, but because I choose to speak out of my love and concern for you.”

For me, that was a valuable lesson about my need to be passionate for the Lord while maintaining and cultivating humility towards the Lord. Pride has a way of working itself in our hearts from time to time and therefore God withdraws his presence or his voice to awaken our souls to the danger we are heading towards.

James 4:6-7    

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 

King David often wrote psalms about his hunger for hearing the voice of the Lord and his tears when he could not hear. Job spoke also about crying for help but heard no answer because there was a spiritual battle going on that was beyond Job’s comprehension. Let me close with some helpful things to do when you can’t hear God’s voice or He is silent.

1)  Ask yourself if you are indeed listening for his voice or just complaining about circumstances?

2) Ask yourself and the Lord if you’re ready to hear whatever he wants to say to you?

3) Ask yourself if you have done the last thing God spoke to you to do?

4) Ask yourself if the main thing you pray about is what is important to you or to God?

5) Ask God if this time of silence is a time of testing?

As you read the word of God daily, pray for the things God desires and engage in Loving others as God desires and He will speak to you. Trust what you believe rather than the circumstances around you and, as you are faithful in the little things, he will indeed hear your voice and speak into your soul in ways that will change you forever.

Pastor Dale