On Hearing God’s Voice: One Thing God Will Never Say to You
There are hundreds of black flies rising from still water when I hear it. It’s a quiet whisper coming from someplace I can’t quite identify: “You’re not good enough for this.” For a split second, I wonder if I’m hearing God’s voice.
I’ve heard this voice dozens of times:
When I had that big dream that felt way beyond my reach.
When I walked into the middle school cafeteria and couldn’t find a single friend.
The day I was asked to stand on a podium and share my heart with an audience.
When the superintendent told me I had one week to budget, purchase, curriculum-map, and design an entire classroom from scratch.
Most of us have heard the quiet whisper. The task at your fingertips feels like it’s out of your league, and you wonder who is whispering those six worry-ridden words.
The Truth About Hearing God’s Voice:
Sitting among the black flies, the words of a friend echo in my mind. Years ago, we sat in the kitchen of a rustic farmhouse with tall glasses of iced tea. I mumbled something about not feeling good enough for the calling set before me.
She grabbed my wrist, looked directly into my eyes, and said, “Those are words straight from the mouth of the enemy, and don’t you dare listen to those words for one more second.”
The moment changed me forever.
God will close doors, redirect us, and make his power known when we are weak. But he will not tell us we aren’t good enough to step into the callings he sets before us.
He won’t say you aren’t good enough to fit in.
God won’t tell you you’re not good enough to wait for a godly husband.
He won’t say you’re not good enough to stand before the masses and share your story.
Almost paradoxically, God knows we will never be “good enough” to stand in his presence or enter through the gates of heaven. We can’t earn his approval or earn our salvation. Instead, he offers salvation as a free gift through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Jesus makes us worthy, spotless, and presentable.
Jesus also longs to show up in our earthly moments of feeling less-than, unworthy, or not quite good enough. He wants to make his power perfectly known when we feel incapable.
Insight on Hearing God’s Voice
Are you struggling with a circumstance that feels entirely overwhelming?
Does it feel like God just slammed a door shut in your face?
Friend, he’s not telling you you’re not good enough.
Instead, he might be saying one of the following things to you:
“Not yet.”
What feels like “never” is often God’s gentle, “not yet.”
What feels like “never” is often God’s gentle, “not yet.” #waitingonGod #trustingGod Click To TweetAs I sit by the water, it dawns on me that there might be a few things I don’t know about the timing of this dream I’m chasing. There might be some character-shaping lessons I need to learn before I’m ready to step into this thing.
There might be some important tasks to complete, valleys to traverse, and muscles to build if I’m going to live in the reality of this dream without being crushed by the pressure of it.
This your invitation too: Pause to consider whether this “never” is actually “not yet, my child.”
On Hearing God’s Voice as You Seek Direction:
Let’s look at what God might truly be saying when it feels like he’s telling us “no.”
“Let’s go this way instead.”
A friend once told me if the door in front of her didn’t open, it was going to feel like a mean trick from God. She just couldn’t see why God would lead her so close and then trick her.
Later, when the door never opened, we sat in my living room and reflected on the past years. She was able to look back and see how God had to lead her toward her dream in order to position her for what he actually had planned for her. She thought she was headed for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. God had already arranged the perfect assignment for her along the path of her journey.
“I have something better for you.”
When God steered my friend in a different direction, his plan was far better than she ever could have imagined. He led her to a new community. He set her free from chains that had bound her for years.
Because God is always good, we can trust his closed doors are gifts, not burdens.
“I’m going to use your weakness to reveal my glory.”
Scripture points us to the perfect ingredient for the next miracle: insufficiency. The wine had to run empty before the wedding hosts needed the miracle. The food had to run out before the breaking of a few fish and loaves became a miracle. You have to reach the end of your own talent and strength to be fully dependent upon Jesus.
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Standing to leave the water, I have no way of knowing it will be years before I see my dream come to life. I also trust this season of waiting has nothing to do with not being good enough. It is a season of grace, a season of “not yet.” It has to happen if I’m going to stand under the weight of my dream’s reality.
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Attention, all moms and daughters!
Lastly, in addition to writing to adults, I am also passionate about ministering to the next generation.
My 12-year-old daughter Bekah and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book together. We hope to help moms and daughters connect and grow in faith together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section.
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