When God speaks, how confidently do you listen?

This past week I spent my time in a foreign land. Though incredible, my heart faced one of the most spiritually refining moments it has had in a while. Time after time, I stumbled into situations that called for a new perspective and humble obedience. These scenarios required genuine listening. The kind of listening that you not only seek understanding for and prayerfully discern, but the kind that you feel compelled to follow through with in faith-driven confidence.

The trip I went on was one that required a lot of flexibility. The daily plans were not extremely clear until the day before and the stories we heard from others were unimaginable. To say the least, this was a trip full of the unexpected. I knew that very well before I ever signed up for it, and before going, I even prayed God would keep it unpredictable. But when each new day arose, I struggled to properly get my heart prepared.

As you may know, I am a heavy-duty planner. I thrive in routine and consistency. But as I was on the first flight, I heard this song called, “When you walk into the room” by Bryan and Katie Torwalt. The lyrics go a little like this:

When You walk into the room
Everything changes
Darkness starts to tremble
At the light that You bring
And when You walk into the room
Every heart starts burning
And nothing matters more

When You walk into the room
Sickness starts to vanish
Every hopeless situation ceases to exist
And when You walk into the room
The dead begin to rise
‘Cause there is resurrection life in all You do

Moral of the message, when God enters a situation, the unexpected in bound to happen. But the good kind of unexpected. The kind that brings light and life in ways we could’ve never fathomed. But what I have come to realize on this trip is that we must hunger for the heart and perspective of the Father if we wish to see the same goodness He sees in the “unplanned”. We must live intentionally interruptible. Not only by our neighbors as I discussed in part 1 of this series, but also by God and the unpaved, yet beautiful, roads He wants to take us on.

There were many accounts in this week that left me in baffled positions. I didn’t know what to say, do, or how to turn something into a good and glorifying thing. But on the first flight to my destination, I challenged myself to pray through. Praying through is something Mark Batterson often promotes in his book “Circle Maker”. It is when one prays with a humility in their humanity and a strong confidence in their God. It is when you choose to praise God for His faithfulness in the past as well as the faithfulness He promises to hold in the future regardless of how long the waiting takes. So in each and every moment of anxiety, confusion, heartache, frustration, and impatience, I prayed through.

I refused to allow my circumstances cloud the miracles and wonders God was unraveling in the unexpected. This called for proper lamenting. To lament is to be completely honest in your feelings but never dismissing the authority of God. As I said before, I love good consistency, and thank heavens, God is just that. In His unchanging character, we are able to find rest and peace that even though the world may sprout out a million crazy scenarios, when we tune into the guidance of the Lord, He will help us see how He turns it for our good and His glory. But again, I emphasize the honesty of your feelings. Without this, there can be no change in the position or perspective of your heart because in an attempt to “have it all together”, you build walls between God and the most vulnerable parts of your heart. Vulnerability is what allows growth to occur. And with growth, comes peaceful availability as you begin to become more comfortable with your life laying fully in the hands of the Father.

But PLEASE understand I am not saying this is easy. I told you earlier that this week was a big spiritually refining moment in my life. And believe me when I say, refining is no easy or fun task. Like a sword being welded, the fire is always hot and the molding is always extremely uncomfortable. But the end result is nothing short of beautiful. This is the process I experienced, not once, twice, or even just three times, but probably around once every day on this trip. It was humbling, but also freeing.

To know that we do NOT have to have it all in our own control and to know that even in the unexpected, our God remains consistent in His character, there is a peace unlike any other that begins to cultivate in your heart. Making each new refinement, not always less painful, but most definitely more hopeful.

So my dear friend, as you challenge yourself to pray through, lament, and respond in a faithful confidence (again, in the Lord’s power, not your own), I assure you it will be a greater blessing than a hardship. We must not underestimate the power of responding to the voice of God with a genuinely listening heart and soul. Your mind can run a million miles an hour in times of anxiety, frustration, confusion, etc. Do not let that be what drives your actions.

We are called followers of Jesus for a reason. Followers obey. But to do so correctly, they must listen and trust. May hunger for the Father flood your heart and may it mold you in a way that establishes a life eager for the unexpected. I pray you come to a point where you can confidently predict God to be unpredictable in your every day life. So Christian, again I ask you, how confidently do you listen to God when He speaks? Are you willing to make the changes in your heart that turn your life into one that thrives in the interruptions of the Father?