What's the right thing?

I love it when God makes things blindingly obvious. It’s great isn’t it? “Every bible verse I’ve read today and this week’s sermon and the guy on the radio, and my wife, two friends and my pastor all seemed to say the same thing – perhaps God is trying to tell me something...”

However more often than not situation is more like “What is God saying? I can’t seem to figure it out.” How do you choose a path when you don’t know which way to turn?

If you’re asking yourself ‘Why isn’t God making this clearer?’ It could be for a couple of reasons.

1)      You’re being a needy friend to God.

Sometimes we can start to have a ‘take take take’ attitude to God and it can become difficult to hear from Him. It’s when we are being like a needy friend, always asking and demanding, but never giving anything back. That’s not the relationship God wants with you. Yours prayers can’t always be “please”. He’s not Santa Claus, He’s your companion.

When did you last set aside time just to hang out with Him?  The Psalmist tells us to “Rest in the Lord”. That’s different to reading Him out a list of your requests. When you value God enough to just spend time with Him, you will hear His  voice more clearly.

2)      You are learning to trust.

When Jesus’ disciples were on a boat and a terrifying storm overtook them, it seemed to them that because Jesus was sleeping downstairs, He wasn’t in control and they were all going to die. So they hassled Him, they woke Him up, and He chastised them for their lack of faith. Of course, ‘asleep’ or not, He was in control all along.

Are you hassling God to stop ‘sleeping’ and help you, when really you should be being patient? You know He’s in control, but you’re starting to lose your nerve. Trusting that God will step in and change things when the time is right can feel like a huge gamble, but it is waiting, not receiving that requires faith.
Maybe God is deliberately keeping quiet on this issue, to develop your faith and trust in Him.