Part 5 (2/2)
I've seen the other side of the coin turn up as well. One weekend following a service at Willow I spoke with a man who said he had been so moved by a particular music number during the service that he was contemplating quitting his job as a successful stockbroker and going full-bore into the Christian-music industry. ”I really feel like that's what G.o.d wants me to do,” he said. ”I just can't shake the sense that this is my new calling in life...”
I waited until he finished his determined explanations of this new career and then threw a few softball questions his way. ”Do you have any musical training?” I asked.
After some hemming and hawing, the answer, it turns out, was no.
”What about any experience in singing or songwriting? I mean, was there ever a time in your youth when you were drawn toward the arts?”
Again, no.
”Hmmm. Sing in the shower at all?”
A third time, no.
I looked at the stockbroker and said, ”Not trying to burst any G.o.d-ordained bubbles here, but is it possible that you were simply moved by a powerful song, and that maybe G.o.d just wants you to reflect on that wonderful experience without upending your entire world in order to pursue a new vocation?”
I caution people against running headlong into a field that is totally foreign to their wiring patterns, their education, their expertise and their experience in life thus far. It's not that G.o.d can't endorse a dramatic 180-degree turn. It's just that typically when he does so, it gets affirmed in a variety of different ways.
FILTER #5: What Do the People You Most Trust Think about It?
There is a fifth filter I use, which is based on Proverbs 11:14. ”Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the mult.i.tude of counselors there is safety.”3 I call this the G.o.dly counsel test. The idea here is that whenever you sense that G.o.d is speaking to you, find two or three veteran Christ-followers-preferably people who know you well and who are further down the spiritual path than you are-and take some time to describe the situation to them in detail. Humbly ask them, ”Do you think G.o.d really did speak to me? Is this the voice of G.o.d I'm hearing, or in your estimation did I get my wires crossed?”
Listen openly and intently to the answers you receive, because they might just save your hide. I speak from experience here.
In the early 1990s, I was in the process of recuperating from a time of burnout and over-commitment. At my lowest point during that season of extreme exhaustion-when I was emotionally fried-a business friend of mine from out of state made an offer for me to join his company. It was an exciting and lucrative offer, and I truly thought that G.o.d might be calling me to leave church work and re-enter the marketplace.
I was quite confident that I had heard G.o.d's voice, which meant that the opportunity successfully pa.s.sed filter number one. It also pa.s.sed filter number two, since nothing in Scripture would prohibit me from going back to my original career in the marketplace. Regarding the wisdom test, financially, the move would have been extremely wise for my family and me. And obviously it aligned with at least part of my wiring, since I had studied business and loved the thrill of closing the big deal.
But there was still the nagging ”G.o.dly counsel test,” which I'd conveniently ignored.
Somewhat begrudgingly, I called together a few spiritual mentors and other people whose opinions and perspectives I genuinely trust, and who understood my current state of exhaustion. I described the offer I was considering, then sat back and listened to their response. To a person, they said, ”Bill, you are in no condition right now to make such a sweeping decision about your future. Even if you believe that G.o.d is steering you in this direction, we implore you to wait three months and then reevaluate at that time.”
They begged me to rest up, heal up and get my wits about me before taking even one more step. I will forever be grateful that I heeded their wise advice.
Within a couple of months I did get healthier, and I began to see things more clearly. As I fell in love with my ministry role once more, I realized how much I would have missed if I had gotten that one decision wrong.
Subject every prompting to the G.o.dly counsel test. It will save you from boatloads of heartache and just might affirm G.o.d's best will for your life.
Having those five filters at the ready helps tremendously when you're trying to make sense of a whisper from G.o.d. (See the appendix on page 267 for a consolidated list of them all.) But what about when you feel like heaven has fallen strangely silent and months go by without a single word from above? What do you do when it seems G.o.d has stopped speaking, despite your deep desire to hear from him?
One day a few summers ago, I decided to spend an afternoon alone with G.o.d. I hopped on a boat, headed out on the lake and prepared to hear meaningful words from heaven. I sat there for an hour and heard nothing. I sat there for a second hour and heard precisely nothing. Partway through hour number three, I thought, ”I love being on the water, but what's with the silence, G.o.d?”
I was going through a tough time at Willow and desperately needed a little encouragement from above. But hour after hour I sat there, hearing nothing but the wind and the waves.
Just as I was ready to haul up the anchor and motor back toward the harbor, I saw a Bud Light beer can float by. I stood there staring at the can, wondering, Is this a message from G.o.d? If so, what could it mean? Am I supposed to drink Bud Light? Am I supposed to tell my congregation not to drink Bud Light? Is there a message inside the can?
After a few wasted minutes of silent inquisition, I figured G.o.d was probably just telling me to respect his creation, fish the can out of the water and toss it in the garbage.
I got back to the house, and my family, all of whom knew I was investing an entire afternoon in some ”meaningful dialogue” with G.o.d, said, ”So, what did G.o.d say to you?”
”Pick up the beer can-that's what he said.”
We laughed, but there was little more to report. I had watched and waited and listened, but apparently G.o.d had nothing to say to me that day-or at least I couldn't hear it, despite my best efforts.
Can I offer you a few words of encouragement, based on countless firsthand experiences like that one? If you aren't sensing many promptings from G.o.d throughout the course of your day, your week, your month, check one of the following areas of concern. For me, one of these four culprits is usually to blame.
First, fervently and frequently ask G.o.d to improve your hearing. Pray every day for G.o.d to give you ears like the prophet Samuel's. Ask him for increased capacity to discern his voice and for heightened attentiveness to his promptings.
Second, reduce the ambient noise in your life. For me, a sure way to get quiet before G.o.d is to head off solo on a boat. For you, it might be listening for him while you are driving, exercising or enjoying the quiet of your bedroom at night. Wherever it is, be sure to carve out moments in your day when you can practice listening for the voice of G.o.d.
Third, you simply must fill your head with Scripture. As we will cover in the next chapter, most of the promptings we receive at critical decision points in life come as the Holy Spirit reminds us of Scriptures we already know. We hear whispers that reinforce biblical truths and we understand immediately what the Spirit is trying to say to us. So, saturate yourself with G.o.d's Word and see if his whispers don't increase over time.
Finally, the Bible makes it clear that any ongoing pattern of wrongdoing compromises our communication with G.o.d-in both directions. Our prayers don't get through to G.o.d and G.o.d's promptings don't get through to us. If you are stuck in a rut of sinfulness and deceit, confess your sin and turn away from it today. Let the laser light of truth permeate every corner of your life. Don't truncate your communications with the Father because you're unwilling to let go of a sin pattern in your life.
ONE OF THE MOST GUT-WRENCHING BOOKS I HAVE READ IN the past few years was the published series of personal letters to and from Mother Teresa that make up the book, Come Be My Light. So many things about this book touched me deeply but one section in particular wrecked me. Her letters describe a season that lasted for some years, during which this extraordinary, G.o.dly woman could not hear the voice of G.o.d. Throughout this painful season, Mother Teresa begged G.o.d to cast light on her very dark night. But for reasons she did not understand, G.o.d seemed to be strangely silent.
Her chosen course of action during this disappointing season was incredibly instructive to me. Instead of growing resentful or hard-hearted, Mother Teresa chose to continue obeying the last whisper she had received from G.o.d. Eventually G.o.d began whispering to her again, but throughout that long season of silence, Mother Teresa continued obeying his most recent marching orders. It's worthy advice. If you're not hearing much from G.o.d these days, go back to the last whisper you received and follow it to the letter. Perhaps by faithfully executing his last command, a new nudging will have s.p.a.ce to emerge.
Allow me one final point. While it's true that G.o.d sometimes seems silent and his whispers seem few and far between, there are plenty of times when he does choose to speak-as evidenced by the themes of this book. Whenever you find yourself on the receiving end of G.o.d's promptings, be sure to obey-no matter the cost. Don't let fear or doubt rob you of one bit of what G.o.d has in store for you. Whenever you hear from G.o.d, do precisely what he asks for you to do.
I've staked my entire adult life on following the still, small voice of G.o.d, and though my faithfulness has been flawed more times than I care to count, I have not for one second regretted this approach. I walked away from a three-generation family business and moved away from my hometown, my family, and my childhood friends because of a whisper. Willow Creek and the Willow Creek a.s.sociation exist because of a whisper. I'm still in ministry today because at low points in my life G.o.d graciously whispered to me. Because I take whispers incredibly seriously, life is rarely dull. I live most days with a sense of antic.i.p.ation, knowing that I could be one spiritual nudge away from once again having my world radically altered and redirected. Who would want to miss out on a ride like that?
Back to Acts 13 one last time. After Paul and Barnabas were ”sent off” by the leaders at Antioch, the two men launched out on a trip around that region of the world to spread the message of Christ. In some villages townspeople warmly embraced the Good News and their lives were miraculously transformed. But in others areas, people weren't as thrilled to see Paul and Barnabas and terrible riots burst out.
In fact, after Paul delivered his message of grace in one city, the crowd was so incensed they hurled stones his way, leaving him close to death's door. By G.o.d's grace, he didn't die. He eventually recuperated, remembered his calling and resumed his G.o.d-whispered a.s.signment, preaching from town to town.
My point is this: Don't ever buy into the idea that everything G.o.d prompts his followers to do will be uncomplicated or low-cost. Sometimes G.o.d asks his children to carry heavy loads, as he did with the apostle Paul. But even-and often especially-under those backbreaking burdens, G.o.d's purposes are fulfilled. When our whispered task is tough, the reward of knowing we've helped further his kingdom and bettered our broken world is all the sweeter.
If you ever find yourself with a difficult a.s.signment, why not try giving G.o.d thanks for trusting you with something that needs your particular strength. He a.s.signs tasks to the right person every time. He did it throughout history and he still does it today. As you walk whatever potholed path he has asked you to walk, never forget the tough journey that Jesus himself once made. As we'll explore in a later chapter, Christ was asked to bear the most difficult a.s.signment of all-to lay down his life as a redemptive sacrifice for humankind. He chose to obey. And because of his obedience, you and I enjoy our redemption today.
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