These past few weeks have been very big for me. I won't go into details, but I had to make a big decision for myself. What started out as a mere idea turned into something that had me running from one side of the country to the other.
I couldn't decide what I should do, what I should choose. I asked God for guidance, but instead of waiting for His answer I started trying to find my own and decide my own fate.
The result? Confusion. Cloudiness. Disruption... Anger. Frustration. Miscommunication. The moment you step out of God's will for you in the search of your own will, everything falls apart.
You may be in the same place. You've asked God for answers, but you can't hear Him respond. So you either go searching for your own, or you get angry at God for His silence. You may feel frustration, you may feel despair.
Why can't God just answer???
Let me reassure you... God will give you an answer. It may not be the one we want, it may not be right away, or we may never hear the answer ourselves, but He will answer.
I got so caught up with trying to find my own way that I had lost all peace and let confusion run my judgement. I think one of the most important things, when you are asking God for guidance, is your attitude in it.
Philippians 4:6 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (ESV)
We become so wrapped up in our selfish desires that we forget that the first thing we should be doing is giving thanks to God for the things that we do have. Having an anxious view on your situation is not going to help you, but instead, fill yourself with a thankful attitude so that you can have peace and more clarity in your mind.
I know having patience can be difficult. It's easy for us to get frustrated when we don't have all the answers or the reasons why. But I'm not omniscient, so I have to recognize my limitations.
When you're going through one of the hard times, here are some things to remember while in your difficult situation:
You don't know the whole plan.
Like I said, we are aren't omniscient. We don't know everything or what all is going on. There could be several things at work here that you can't see. Those three weeks of waiting may be just the time you need to become prepared for God's plan for you.
Your journey may affect others.
One of the hardest things for me is that I can't see into another person's heart or mind. You can't tell what another person is feeling or thinking, not really and truly (it drives me nuts!). So you don't know how your story is effecting those around you. We can never know how many people we impact by our actions.
Maybe the struggle you're experiencing just changed the life of some stranger in the store who overheard your deep phone conversation, and if God had resolved it a week earlier that experience would never have happened. We never know the whole story that God is working around you. God could be using you in other people's lives and you may never even realize it.
God's timing is perfect.
We may have a plan made out in our head of how our life should go, but rarely does that actually work out the way we plan (let's be real here). But who's to say that this new plan isn't as good as the one you had before? God has your best interest at heart. So if God isn't being speedy in his answer to you, that delay may be the best thing that will happen to you.
Be still.
1 Samuel 12:16 - "Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!" (NIV)
Psalm 62:5-6 - "Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken."(NIV)
Psalm 37:7 - "Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes."(NIV)
Be still, and see what God will do.
So don't get discouraged that God is being silent. Don't get discouraged that God feels distant. Because the reality is, God has never been closer. He is giving his guidance to you in ways you can't even imagine.
