Are there any West Wing fans out there? One of my favorite characters in the T.V. series is President Bartlet (often referred to as POTUS - President of The United States). In The West Wing series, POTUS takes the moral high ground, fights for the common good, and leads with passion and integrity. He leads his staff both professionally and personally as they grow into the leaders they were called to be.
But he also goes throughout life with doubts. He too has his own backstory, personal struggles, and limitations. Often when we have our own doubts, insecurities, and questions, we take them to God. We pray and ask for guidance, wisdom, direction, or a gentle nudge in the direction he wants us to go. Other times we ask (or dare I say test) God to give us a sign or "tell us" directly in the way we should go.
But what happens when he seems silent? What happens when we don't hear his audible voice or get that big sign we are asking for? I would venture to guess many of us either freeze or take matters into our own hands.
Some of us will freeze or pause on any decision making until we hear the Lord answer. Others of us are a tad more bull-headed and impatient, making decisions left and right based on a gut feeling or personal intuition. And while both are okay or even necessary at times, I want to encourage you that sometimes there is a third option- the Lord answers us, but not in the way we asked him to.
In a scene in The West Wing , the POTUS is contemplating how to avoid an upcoming execution of a person on death row. He asks his staffers to find any loop holes to learn if there is any way to circumvent the dire situation. In the Oval Office, the POTUS is chatting with a priest about the situation minutes before the execution is scheduled to take place.
The priest then tells the POTUS a story about a man who lived by the river: The man heard a radio report that the river was going to rush up and flood the town and that everyone should evacuate. But the man stays home and says "God loves me and God will save me". The waters rise and a guy in a rowboat shouts to the man "the town is flooding, let me take you to safety". But the man denies the help and says "God loves me and God will save me".
Next a helicopter hovers over the man and a guy on a megaphone shouts "the town is flooding, let me drop this ladder and bring you to safety". But the man denies the help and says "God loves me and God will save me". The man drowns. When he gets to heaven's gates he is peeved at God. He says "I am a religious man, I pray, and I thought you loved me. Why did this happen?". God then says "I sent you a radio report, a guy in a rowboat, and a guy in a helicopter - what the heck are you doing here"? (check out the scene here)
Sometimes God doesn’t speak directly to us. Sometimes he speaks to us through his people. I can say from experience that many of my answered prayers for wisdom, discernment, or direction have come through God's people and not the audible voice or impression from God.
So what's our deal? Why don’t we listen to others? Do we not trust God? Do we not trust that he can speak through his people? Are we testing God? Or testing our own faith? Or are we waiting for a certain "feeling" or peace about a situation?
Here are some simple steps to help:
Pray! We should continue to pray daily over all things, even when we don't have answers. The bible says that when two or more are gathered in prayer God is with them (Matthew 18:20). Philippians 4:6 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Study the Bible! The Bible is filled with so many stories, analogies, lessons, and wisdom. God didn't want to bore us with words or instructions on paper. Heck no! He wanted us to learn his stories and truths so that we could keep them close to our hearts. His words are like a compass, pointing us in the way we should go. Studying and memorizing scripture helps us to recall it almost on auto-pilot when we most need it.
Seek godly council! Proverbs 13:20 says "One who walks with wise people will be wise, But a companion of fools will suffer harm". When you are not hearing from God, perhaps he can speak to you through his people. Find a good godly friend who is rich in the word whom you can trust and talk to.
Be patient! Sometimes God's delay is on purpose. Sometimes God delays promotions, opportunities, or circumstances in your favor. How many times have you "dodged a bullet" from almost doing something dumb or out of desperation? In all likelihood, that was probably God or his angels protecting you. "But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience" (Romans 8:25).
So today, I encourage you to think about this:
Are you praying regularly? (not just the emergency "oh God help me in my desperation" sort of prayers)
Are you studying and memorizing his words?
Whom are you listening to? Whom are you bringing your issues to? Are they Godly and speaking life, and hope, and truth into your situation?
Are you waiting for a "feeling" or are you leaning into your faith?
I don't believe in fairytales, I guess I've outgrown them But that doesn't mean that I don't believe That there's something bigger than me 'Cause I've seen it in a hospital room When the doctors said, "Sorry, there's nothing more we can do" Well, it wasn't through
I've never seen a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow But I've got a promise I can hold in the middle of the struggle God, if you said it, You'll perform it May not be how I want You to But here's what I'll do
I'm gonna wait on You I'm gonna wait on You I've tasted Your goodness I'll trust in Your promise I'm gonna wait on You Yes, I'm gonna wait on You