Dear Friends,
If you’re a follower of Christ, I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “The teacher is silent during the test.” It’s a common phrase said when we are trying to understand why we can’t hear God during trials.
However, in all honestly I disagree with that saying. As Christ followers and humans, we try to grasp an understanding of why things happen. I believe we will never truly understand until we are face to face with our Lord and creator, but in this fleshly life, we are equipped through God's word to overcome this world's challenges.
Friends, God is constantly speaking to us and that’s why I disagree with that statement. Yes, I have gone through trials where I feel like I can’t hear God speaking to me, but now that I look back and think about those trials in my life, the more I realize He was speaking to me the whole time, I just wasn’t listening.
As I tried to dissect the saying “The teacher is silent during the test”, I began to think about the academic tests I took during high school and during college. Friends, take a trip down memory lane with me, do you remember when you took tests during high school? It was mandatory for the teacher to be present in the room and most teachers would walk around. If you paid close attention, you could hear the footsteps of the teacher. Some students would be so focused on their test they didn’t even notice that the teacher was walking around and other students would be distracted by the movements of the teacher that it was hard to focus on the test.
Side note: on a spiritual level, when we focus on the movements of the Holy Spirit we become slightly separated from the trials that we are going through. This isn’t a bad thing either; when we focus on God, our minds shift focus and place attention on to who God is and not what we’re going through. By focusing on who God is, his character and his presence, we release the mental strongholds of worry and fear that we associate with trails. Once we focus on God we begin to be filled with peace instead of being distracted by fear.
Getting back on track, that’s how God is; He is always speaking to us and moving through the Holy Spirit, it's whether or not we choose to acknowledge his presence.
In the book of Luke, Jesus is speaking to his disciples,
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: the Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem. You are a witness to these things. I am going to send what my father has promised, but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
Luke 24: 45-49 (ASV).
Friends, God promised us the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we can have constant communion with him. God is constantly speaking to us though the Holy Spirit. When our eyes and ears are opened, we begin to see Christ in our everyday lives and even when life gets complicated and difficult, we can still hear God speak to us because of his Spirit.
God doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him!
Acts 17: 27 (MSG).
Friends, God is always speaking to you! He is loving and gracious and wants us to hear him! I want to challenge you to listen for God in everything. I also want to let you know that if you’re in the middle of a trial now, God’s right there with you. He has sent the Holy Spirit to speak to you and to guide you. The teacher is not silent, he’s constantly speaking.
Sincerely,
Miranda
