Sometimes, no matter how we try and strive, we just can’t figure out what God is saying to us.

I’ve had hundreds, if not thousands, of moments where I’ll try to listen—really, truly try…but it’s just quiet.

The past month of October, we’ve talked about how there are, generally, in my experience, four different reasons why we don’t hear from God.

#1. Emotional Pain.

Sometimes, there’s something in our past, or a lie we believe, or a pain we’re experiencing that’s demanding our attention. Sometimes that lie prevents us from totally hearing God, and we need to invite God to talk about it before we can move forward with whatever it is we’re trying to hear from him about.

(For the whole article, click here!)

#2. Demonic Interference.

We have an enemy, folks. And that enemy adores you being lost in confusion. If he can distract you from focusing on God, it’s a win in his book.

(For the whole article, click here!)

#3. He has—we just forgot.

Sometimes, let’s be real…we just didn’t like the answer, or we’ve forgotten. It’s important to be a good steward of the things God tells us, especially if we had asked him for an answer.

(For the whole article, click here!)

Which leads me to the 4th and final reason why we can’t hear God.

#4. We can make a good choice.

Sometimes, we don’t hear from God because he knows we know how to figure out the answer ourselves. Frustrating? Definitely. But it’s the truth.

There was a time in my life when I wouldn’t do anything—literally anything—unless I had prayed and gotten the approval of God. What clothes I should wear, what I should eat, and which side of the street I should walk down. All of it felt like a moral issue, and I was so worried about hearing his voice and making sure I was listening that I’d gotten completely hyperfocused on it, and then miss the joy he had for me.

When I wouldn’t hear from God, I’d freeze, unable to decide. What if he did tell me and I just couldn’t hear him? What if I wasn’t being a good listener? Should I pick chocolate or vanilla? Please, God — I need you! Then, when I’d eventually make a choice, I’d sit and eat my ice cream with shame creeping up my neck. With every bite, I wondered, did I pick wrong?

It was exhausting.

The truth

You’re a child of God. He’s given you good discernment and the Word. If you’re not hearing from him, it might be because he knows you can make a good decision and trusts you with it. Isn’t that great?

Don’t you want him to be able to trust you?

There’s something my Mentor, Brad, says that infuriates me. I’ll come across something at work, and I’ll ask him what I should do. He’ll look at me, smile, and say, “You can make a good choice here.”

Let’s be honest, I don’t really want to do the critical thinking required to make that good choice. Sometimes, I want to be lazy and have someone else make that choice. Brad doesn’t want that for me (thank goodness). God doesn’t want that for you, either.

God knows you can make a good choice, so just make it.

It could also just genuinely not matter. God doesn’t mind if you choose vanilla over chocolate ice cream. It isn’t some moral choice that’s going to dramatically change your life if you choose one T-shirt over the other. Sometimes he works in weird, quirky, unique ways like that, but guess what?

God will tell you.

If he wanted you to pick a specific t-shirt to wear, he’d tell you. That’s the truth I have to come back to. Because this issue is still something I struggle with to this day. I’ll find myself getting stressed and anxious, wondering and worrying which option to choose.

That’s when I have to remind myself. If it were really all that important, the Holy Spirit would tell me. I don’t have to guess with him.

He loves me.

He adores me.

He is wholly perfect.

Would someone with those attributes leave their friend in silence, yet still get angry with them when that friend makes a different choice? Is that of God?

No. It’s not.

I hope this series helped you, or at least got you thinking more about God this month. 🙂 Drop a comment below, which reason do you find you run into the most? Is there something you’ve found that helps you hear from God?

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The post Why Can’t I hear From God – Part Four appeared first on Alli Prince.