Listening to God when you feel stuck
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing”-James 1:2-4 (NKJV)
Do you ever feel like you’re not moving forward?
You have a need that is not fulfilled but you are stuck. Desperate for answers but you get silence. Maybe you want to advance in your career, buy a new house, or even give up something but are unsure. There is a passion in your heart to make a change but you have no idea if it’s the right path.
Guess what? You won’t get the kind of guidance you’re looking for
Perhaps you are going through something right now that is causing you to be extremely torn. Torn between choices. As a result, you are stagnant. You can’t decide because you don’t know which choice is the best for you, so it brings you to a halt.
Sitting still never made anyone feel comfortable, so you start to squirm.
You want to take control. But how? Mistakes in your past haunt you and right now you don’t trust yourself to make a good decision.
Some of the most impactful decisions you’ve made in your life maybe didn’t seem like big choices at the time. You could’ve been one choice away from a very different life and don’t even realize.
Every day you have a chance to change something with a choice.
It’s easy to get caught up in your routine that you don’t recognize your blessings. Once disaster strikes, we finally notice what we’ve taken for granted. Remember, you’ve made great choices that have led to amazing things too. Equip yourself with the armor of God to help you realize when you need to step aside and let Him work.
When you are going through a time in which you are torn, you are being tested. The passage says to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials,” but joy is the last thing from your mind. Your stuck. As a result you can’t see the way out, only the way down deeper into the quicksand that’s pulling you.
Confusion is the perfect place to keep you stagnant and struggling.
God will often be silent.
But Satan will not.
He will chase you with things that keep your mind in turmoil. This forces you to choose the path of least resistance. You tell yourself that God doesn’t want turmoil for you so you choose the easy way.
Then you’re trapped. One choices leads to another … then another …. until you are spiraling so far from what God has wanted for you in your life. The fear of this moment is exactly why you were struggling to begin with.
It seems like you are down a rabbit hole with no hope anymore because now you’re stuck … again.
So how do you know when to wait on the Lord?
You don’t.
But He does.
He knows when you need to wait and His Holy Spirit is the one who guides you. You are torn because you are flesh and spirit. Your flesh will choose the path of least resistance because that’s accepted in the world. Sometimes it’s hard to spot because it seems harmless, but leads to a rocky path that’s more difficult to travel.
Here’s Linda’s story …
Linda has been feeling stuck in a rut with her job. She feels like she just can’t do it anymore. She has been at the same company for five years and she has advanced as far as she can go. She likes the people she works with but she doesn’t get fulfilled anymore. Lately she’s been pulled toward a change.
She has always thought of starting her own business, but not sure when is the right time. One day she is completely fed up with the amount of work she is tasked because she’s the most knowledgeable in her department.
“My reward for doing a good job shouldn’t be more work!”
There aren’t many other people that can do what she does in her company. She has so many clients that have told her they would follow her if she ever made a change. When she went home that day she was so frustrated she decided to start her own company.
Over the next few months she researched ways to get it up and running and was very excited. She remained at her current job but wasn’t performing as well as she normally would. She didn’t much care because she was so focused on branching out on her own.
Her work suffered
She got a phone call from one of her best clients and she assumed it was to chat like they’ve always done.
“Linda, I wanted to reach out because I value our relationship. My business has been doing very well and we have an opportunity to merge with a great company. I’m confident it will double our revenue by the end of the year.”
“That’s great Tim! I’m happy for you!”
“Thank you … But I have some not so great news. I’m not going to need the services you provide moving forward. I’m so sorry Linda. I wish you the best with everything”
Speechless and confused Linda didn’t know what to say. “Well Tim, I understand. But we’ve been doing business together for years … can I ask why?”
“Well, to be very honest Linda I’ve noticed a change in your work over the past few months. You always do such a great job but some of the information was incomplete. A few of my customers needed refunds and were very unhappy … that’s why I’m reaching out today.”
“I really wanted to have you be our liaison when merging with the new company, but the quality of the work was an issue. My new partners and I collaborated and everyone was very objective. I hope everything is going well with you. I care about your well being and I really don’t want you to take this personally. It truly is a business decision.”
Linda was crushed.
Tim brought in so much revenue for her company, but with the merger his company was going to be even more lucrative! She had planned on taking this client with her when branching out on her own, but she didn’t know what to do. She not only lost the client for her new company, but her current company as well.
Linda had every right to be upset because it’s true, the reward for good work shouldn’t be more work.
However, she let her emotions lead her decisions.
Tim had already started discussions with the company leadership in which he was going to be merging about her, and how talented she was at her job.
Linda was going to get the promotion she yearned for and the change she desperately needed.
She was too focused on what she wanted instead of pausing to listen to the Lord.
So what happened?
- Linda made an emotional decision. She will have to rebuild her reputation in her company, and industry, which will double her workload… again.
- She wanted a change for the better and thought the only way was to do it herself.
- She thought of starting her own company out of frustration, not peace or joy.
God was already setting up blessings for her which would’ve equipped her dream of her own company. She could’ve been able to start it with passion and joy instead of frustration.
Waiting on the Lord is one of the most difficult parts of submission.
That is where trust comes in.
He knows your heart and every single need you crave.
He searches your deepest desire and knows the unique abilities He’s given you. He wants to align His purpose for you according to the desire in your heart. If you are prompted to seek Him, He will ensure you find Him.
Pray for the patience to wait on the Him.
Patience isn’t something this world promotes. Patience doing its perfect work inside you helps you to understand the importance of submission to God. Feeling stuck in a situation prompts action, but that action isn’t always going to come from you. Wait for God’s instruction, you’ll know what He wants you to do by submitting each day and giving it to Him.
It won’t come naturally to you because it’s just too hard in your own will. Not just you, everyone. We all need instant gratification. Magic diet pill, quick return on investment, fast food … it’s all part of the ways of the world.
What can you do to wait on the Lord?
- Pray for His guidance. Take time in your day to ask Him what He wants you to do. Ask Him in Jesus’ name to help you find your path.
- Listen to Him. Blocking off quiet time with Him will help you get focused. It takes time to listen for His instruction in a world full of noise.
- Read His word. It helps to know the difference between God’s voice and your own. When you read His word you understand His character and begin to trust His promises.
- Reflect. Ask yourself what you truly want from God. Look at what He’s done in your life already and really think about the choices you’ve made. Being self aware can get you closer to the truth of what’s at the heart of your situation.
I pray that you have the guidance you seek. In Jesus anything is truly possible!