There are times we have a promise from God, but we don’t see our life lining up with the promise God has given us. Or there are times we reach a crossroads in our life, relying on God to speak direction into our lives, and we only hear silence. This 7-day devotional will speak to your heart about how to move in God’s Will when God seems to be quiet.
Jessica Hardrick
Day 1
Scriptures: Genesis 15:2-6, Genesis 16:1-4, Genesis 18:9-15, Genesis 21:1-6
SITTING IN THE STILL: IN THE STILL PLACES
As we begin, we will look at someone who received a promise from God well before they could ever enjoy it. The story of Sarah and Abraham always gives me the perseverance to press on when promises seem so far away.
God often gives us the promise way before he gives us the process. God told Sarah she would birth a child in her old age, but God never told her what age that would be. God also didn’t ask Sarah to assist him in bringing his promise to pass. As time passed, Sarah and Abraham didn’t see or hear anything from God concerning the promise he gave them. They began to think God needed their help to accomplish his promise to them. How many times are we guilty of this as well?
God gives us our destination before he gives us our directions. Maybe to provide us hope, as we are sitting in still places where it feels as if nothing is happening. A still place is important because it is where our faith is exhibited and strengthened. We learn lessons, obedience, patience, and perseverance in the still place.
It is crucial that we stay faithful in the still places rather than attempting to hasten the process by doing anything to assist God. We also don’t want to emotionally make a decision, to move on to something we think God would have us to do.
In the still place, we learn to identify God’s voice and his silence. If we make a false move without hearing God, we could jeopardize the promise God has given us or delay it. Sarah and Abraham did decide to make a move without God. They didn’t forfeit God’s promise, but they did add unnecessary stress to both their lives and the lives of others.
Often in our haste to reach a promise, we try to step in and help God like Sarah and Abraham, adding undo stress to a stress-free promise. Don’t compromise your promise by refusing to wait on God in the still place. Allow God to complete his work in and for you. Get all that God has for you by simply enjoying the still and holding onto his promises. Don’t move, don’t doubt, don’t complain, or strategize, simply be still and wait. God has a plan for his promise and your life.
Day 2
Scriptures: Psalms 130:5-6, Psalms 46:10
SITTING IN THE STILL: WHAT TO DO, WHEN GOD SAYS NOTHING.
There have been times that I have heard God speak, moved into position awaiting further instructions, and heard nothing for a very long time. There are also times when God has given me a promise, and it came upon me before I had time to digest it all. There is a purpose for times like this and times when it has taken years to walk into God’s promise over my life.
I remember being young and single in one season of my life. I was very single, the kind of single where there isn’t a possible suitable mate in sight. I knew that marriage had been spoken over my life many years ago, so I carried this promise with me. I never doubted God’s plan for my life, but I did turn over every rock looking for it. Sometimes I was so afraid that I would miss God by not dating. I would worry if I dismissed someone too quickly, even when the person didn’t feel right for me. I didn’t want to miss God, so I continued to search through his silence.
I am sure many of the choices I made during those silent times, trying to “assist God,” may have delayed God’s promise for my life. I made choices that caused me to experience more heartache than God planned for me on this journey. Like Sarah, I thought God needed my help. Instead of fully experiencing the “still places” God set for me, I tried to help God and speed up the process.
Looking back, I see where those “still places” prepared me for where I am now. Those still places taught me faith and perseverance and allowed me to experience some things I needed to go through to get to where I am now. I have been married seven years now, and in my heart, I know this is the place God destined for me.
What do you do in the time between God laying a promise in your heart or speaking it over your life and the moment you walk into it? You pause. You prepare. You wait. You allow God to work in and through you. God knows what you will need for the destination ahead, and I believe he prepares you in the “still places.” While we think God has forgotten about us, he’s doing his most important work in these quiet times.
Day 3
Scriptures: Genesis 28:10-17, Exodus 14:14
SITTING IN THE STILL: GOD IS HERE
Many of us have been in an impossible situation where we couldn’t see a way out. Whether we experienced an unfavorable medical diagnosis, a job loss, or the loss of a loved one, it can be hard to see or find God in these moments. These are moments where we feel trapped, where we feel our back is against the wall and there is no way out.
In the Bible, we witness Jacob running from a situation he created. Based on his actions, one might say Jacob didn’t deserve to have God’s favor upon him, as Jacob had been deceitful, even what some would call dishonest. I am sure Jacob felt God was not with him on his journey. As Jacob lay in a desolate place, hopeless, running from all the wrong he had done, God visited him. Amid the mess Jacob created, I doubt he expected to find God in this place. Yet even in his mess, God visited him in a dream and gave Jacob confirmation of His presence in his darkest hour.
Before this divine visit from God, Jacob may have felt alone, scared, and lost. He may have felt there was no point in asking God for help or grace. Just like Jacob, we often shut ourselves off from God when we feel we aren’t worthy or when we think God has wronged us. The good news is even in our darkest times, God never leaves us, even when He seems silent on our issues.
Once Jacob found out that God was still with him, he had the courage to move forward on his path, knowing that God would go with him and protect him. This may have been the beginning of his personal relationship with God. Jacob may have known of God from his Father’s relationship with God but had yet to experience and establish his relationship. Through strife and turbulent times, in a quiet time, he found a real relationship with God.
If you are in a situation today that feels impossible, take time to pause, pray, and look for God right where you are, He’s there. Even though it may seem still and quiet, continue to seek God, He is there, and in His timing, He will reveal Himself. God never leaves us, but He waits for us to accept His invitation to walk through life with Him. Just as Jacob realized He needed to move forward with God and walk in His protection, God is waiting on us to do the same in our situation. Will you accept His invitation?
Day 4
Scriptures: Luke 1:29-33, Luke 2:7, Proverbs 19:21
SITTING IN THE STILL: IN HIS WILL
Many of us think everything should work out smoothly if we are doing God’s Will. God never promises us a smooth road. He does, however, promise to be with us and keep us inside His Will. As we travel along God’s path, many of us are put off by opposition because we expect God to work everything out to our liking. At the first sign of discomfort, we begin to doubt God’s voice and His Will for our lives.
Sometimes we experience discomfort and inconveniences because we moved out of timing, and other times they simply are a part of God’s will. When we obey God’s voice, these minor roadblocks teach and strengthen us while we are in the safest place we can be; God’s will.
If we look at one of the Bible’s best accounts of being in God’s Will, we look at Joseph and Mary’s journey to deliver God’s very son into this world. As they searched for a place to birth God’s son, they must have prayed and asked God to lead them and give them a special place for Jesus’s birth. When their prayer seems unanswered, I wonder if they felt God had abandoned them inside of the promise He had given them. They may have begun to doubt God’s promise for a moment; many of us would have. Even so, Joseph and Mary continued in faith; they did not leave the plan just because it didn’t look like the promise they had received.
If you are walking in what feels like God’s unconventional way of delivering purpose into your life, keep praying and trusting God, even in the “still places.” Don’t give up or doubt God’s purpose in your life because it’s unfolding in His will, not yours. Pray today about your “still place,” vow to move in God’s Will and His Will only.
Day 5
Scriptures: Psalms 27:13-14, 1 Samuel 16:7-12, 2 Samuel 5:3-4
SITTING IN THE STILL: WAITING ON PURPOSE
David was anointed king between the ages of 16-19, but he was 30 before he was officially able to reign over Israel. Between the age of 23 and 30, David dealt with the wrath of king Saul and many other hardships, but he remained faithful and waited on the purpose that God promised him.
In the kingdom of God, we don’t always get what we want, and not when we want it. Waiting is an essential part of the life we are called to as we mature in Christ. Waiting prepares us for purpose, strengthens our faith, and teaches us perseverance.
God knew as King, David would need certain skills, perseverance, and knowledge to lead effectively. I believe God imparted much of what David would need as king in him during those years.
You will likely need to be prepared for the purpose assigned to your life. While you may feel prepared to walk into your calling, God knows what your calling entails, so put your faith in Him. When you feel God has called you to something but don’t understand why your time hasn’t come yet, remember that He may be training you just like He did David. Be obedient, faithful, patient, and be found diligent before purpose. God always has a better plan than we have; pray today that your heart is surrendered to that plan and His perfect Will.
Day 6
Scripture: John 10:27-29
SITTING IN THE STILL: FORFEITING DESTINY
In the Old Testament, we see Saul take matters into his own hands after he doesn’t receive a visit from Samuel in the allotted time given. Instead of waiting on God, Saul disobeys God and forfeits his entire Kingdom.
God’s direction can be difficult because sometimes it seems he has left us on our own. However, these are usually times he is testing obedience and faithfulness. As we seek and wait on God’s voice, we should learn to sit still at our crossroads, going neither left nor right, until God speaks direction. As we see with Saul, this is so critical! Moving without God’s direction can forfeit our promise. It can also cause us to waste years of our life wandering outside of purpose.
Saul was a leader, and many depended on his direction; his mistake would also mislead many. Being under the pressure of peers and others speaking into our lives can also cause our misdirection. This can even cause us to miss God if He is speaking or cause us to move without hearing God.
I believe God wants us to live a premium life, and He sends promises to our lives to ensure we live a life He intended, a life that touches others and blesses us. But when we follow our directions or the directions of others, we forfeit what God has for us.
Yes, there will be moments when we can’t hear God or get an immediate answer from God, but don’t forfeit your destiny by following your directions or the directions of others. Prove yourself to be faithful, a sheep that will only follow his shepherd’s voice. If you are waiting on God’s promise and the noise around you is too loud, find a “still place” to wait, a place where God can speak when He is ready. Make a vow to God today not to move until you hear His voice.
Day 7
Scripture: James 1:2-4
SITTING IN THE STILL: PERMISSION TO EXIT
What happens when your “still place” isn’t peaceful? What happens when you’re stuck in an unpleasant place? Whether it’s a bad marriage, an unpleasant job, an unwanted friendship, trouble with children, or a church family gone wrong. These are all trials we go through and trials God may have us remain in.
Many of us experience trials, and we want to escape them immediately. Well, God doesn’t always permit us to do so. Even in trials we don’t have the authority to exit. We have to pray and wait on God to answer us with direction. When God doesn’t answer, this isn’t our permission to leave.
We all hate to be uncomfortable and think God should rescue us at the first site of discomfort. We like to think God isn’t in those discomforting places, but that’s the best place to find Him. I have had my closest moments with God when I was stuck in an uncomfortable still place, seeking God wholeheartedly. Yes, we could abort a trial by leaving the Church, the relationship, or the job, but if we do, we may miss the tool we need for our purpose ahead.
If God has spoken promise into your life, remember there are tools you will need to carry out that promise. If you are patient in trials and tribulations, you will come out whole on the other side. Allow God to instill in you the tools needed to fulfill your promise. Stay in the still until God directs you out. If you are in an uncomfortable place waiting on God’s direction, continue to pray and be faithful to God, trusting He will pull you through in His timing.
As we conclude this plan, no matter what “still place” God has you in, vow to sit and wait on His voice. Do not be anxious, do not fall prey to a voice that is not His, and do not lean to your understanding, for, in due time, He will speak.