Day 8: Hearing God

What do we do when God seems silent?

READ- Esther 3:5-6; 3:13-17; 8

REFLECT- I used to (and sometimes still do) have an obsession with Chipotle. Everything about it is amazing: the portion sizes, the chips, the guac; top tier stuff. I was still living at home when my dad had an intervention with me; he said, “Son, you cannot spend $50-60 dollars a week at chipotle.” Those words irked me, but I knew he was right. I had to cut down on my wholesome addiction and it was a wise decision for my wallet, for sure. I later moved on to school to finish my degree and from time to time I would hear my dad’s voice in my head of how to spend my money. I knew He wasn’t just referring to Chipotle but rather to spending all my hard-earned cash on eating out when it was easily in my power to save and cook from home. I now try to limit my Chipotle to just once a week, a practical compromise.
Sometimes in our walk with God we might desire direct and audible responses on what to do. Sometimes He gives us a response, other times, He seemingly does not. I believe we are left to ask ourselves, what Has God already told me to do? Or we could ask, what has He already promised to do for me? The thing is, I don’t need my dad to tell me again and again to not eat every day at Chipotle, he has entrusted me with the knowledge and guidance to make the right choices for myself and now my family. In the story of Esther, the Queen had a choice to make, her people were about to die! We do not hear that God spoke to her or opened the heavens and declared to her His will, though that might seem convenient. No, instead, her Uncle Mordecai remembered the blessings and promises God still had for His people. He knew that one way or another God would show up for His own, and make a way so that all the Jews did not perish; and so they prayed and fasted, and Esther did what was in her power (though scary) while trusting in God.

RESPOND- What has God already told you? What promise do you need to hold on to? Take time to be still before Him and quiet yourself. I challenge you this week to consider that perhaps God’s voice isn’t silent in your life; but rather, He has already laid out a promise for the very circumstance you find yourself in. Acknowledge Him along the way, and trust God’s ability to lead you more than the enemy’s ability to deceive you.