Hearing His Voice #219

He knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.

Job 23:10

It’s comforting to realize that God knows where we’re going because there are times when we clearly don’t. Our circumstances can be very disorienting, even when we think we’ve followed Him closely. We know where we’ve been and how we got into our current situation, but we don’t know how to proceed. How does this happen?

When we’re listening for God’s voice and following His lead, He gives us enough to go on, and we follow as best we can. And when we’ve done all we can do, we find that sometimes it still isn’t enough. God leads us straight into an unknown wilderness and then seemingly leaves us there alone. We cry out for more guidance, wondering where the Lord has gone. Has He abandoned us? Is something wrong with our hearing? Did we follow the wrong path in the first place? These are the questions we ask, and we think something is wrong. But it isn’t. This is perfectly normal. This is how God works. His seeming silence is a test to refine our faith and define our resolve, to let us experience the mystery of God’s ways while clinging to them relentlessly, to see if we will wander in hope or wander in resignation. He stretches us beyond comfort. And when the test is over, we will come forth as pure as gold.

Don’t give up in the wilderness. God’s silence is not abandonment; it’s affirmation. It means you were on the right course and now you’re in a testing phase. When God speaks, follow. And when He doesn’t, keep your gaze on Him anyway. He is separating you from dependence on your circumstances and assumptions and turning your only hope toward Him. Times like these aren’t comfortable, but they are good. They prepare you for the deliverance, the direction, and the fulfillment that God is going to give you.

Lord, it’s painful not to hear Your voice, to wonder why I’m here and where You’ve gone. You know the path I need to take. I don’t. Until You lead again, my eyes are fixed on You.