I recently talked with a friend.
Plain as day, she told me:
- I can’t hear God.
- I am upset at God.
- Others have done me wrong.
Maybe you are there too. Maybe there are miles of distance between you and your once beloved Father, God. Maybe you are irritated, although you likely don’t admit it. Maybe you feel God has let you down. Maybe you are counting up all the ways others have failed, hurt, and insulted you.
Maybe you can’t see straight because you want to let the world, have it!
We’ve all been there. Or at least I have. I remember, I felt God let me down so badly I’d go to church, pretend I was voicing the worship songs, count the lights and draw doodles on my notepad rather than giving the pastor one second of my listening ear.
It seems what others do to us, we displace onto God.
Which is why there is only one way out of this mess: forgiveness.
Yes, it is that word. The one we cringe at. Because we hate to do it. We hate, hate, hate to let go of the injury that was SO WRONG, SO UNDUE, SO MEAN, SO RUDE, SO INFURIATING…SO, SO, SO!
But, the reality is, that person, who injured us doesn’t continue to lose, when we hold on to bitterness, we do. That person who was horrible doesn’t get their due from our resentment, we do. We don’t hurt them. We are the ones who stay hurt. We are the ones who live the offense over and over. We are the ones who stay in pain.
Unforgiveness is the enemy’s trick. He steals, kills, and destroys the freedom waiting on the other side of our anger. He keeps us wrapped up in the agony of the unjust, the immoral and the inept. He keeps our mind off Jesus.
Indeed, he’s cunning. But, God is greater. And, so is forgiveness. It breaks every shackle. It tears off every band-aid. It restores peace. It renews joy. It returns us to high standing with God, where we feel okay with talking to him.
Forgiveness is our way home. Do you need to come home? To a God who wants to comfort you in your time of need.
Prayer:
Dear God, I am angry at ____ because they ____. I know that as I let them go, you will handle them. I hand them to you today, Lord. I forgive them in your name. I ask you to bless them and to keep them. I ask you to heal whatever was hurt within me as a result of them. Repair me. Repair them. Be near to me. Thank you, my God. Amen.
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It’s not that we’re not hearing God, it’s just that we’re hearing everyone else, even replaying it in our hearts. That’s why we need to be still. And listen. Psalm 46:10
I think we close ourselves off to God’s voice sometimes. It’s hard to listen to someone when, truth be told, you don’t fully trust them, or you feel let down by them. It’s our own incomplete knowledge of how much God truly does love us that often causes us to doubt His goodness, and as a result, not be able to hear Him. And often, deep down, we know we need to forgive and we just don’t want to yet. And it’s helpful to admit that to God. Because the more truth we speak, I think the better He is able to deal with our hearts. Love you, sweet friend.
Thank you for these encouraging words.