I vividly remember staring into the forested landscape and wondering how I’d missed it. I’d been planning and preparing and seeking God’s voice for months.
When life took a turn in an unexpected direction, it was blatantly clear that the whisper I thought was God’s voice was not his voice at all.
Most of us will “miss it” at some point.
We will believe we’re hearing from God, step out in faith, and end up slamming into closed doors.
Perhaps you’ve been here, too. It might be regarding a job, a relationship, or a risky venture that everyone says is crazy.
Most likely, you did all of the right things. You tested it against Scripture, sought wise counsel, tested the spirits, and sought God’s face. And you still got it wrong.
Getting it wrong often feels like a punch in the ribs. It’s more than a blow to our plans; it’s a blow to our faith. We want to be spiritually discerning, and missing the mark is humbling and sometimes even humiliating.
On Missing God’s Voice
We wonder how we could have been so far off.
If you’ve missed God’s voice, there are plenty of reasons why you might have made the wrong turn or perceived the wrong idea. You might not have tested it against Scripture, wise counsel, common sense, or time. You might also have stumbled into one of the following scenarios:
1. We often miss God’s guidance when our emotions are strong.
I’ve been mentoring younger women for years. The most common cause of missing God’s voice generally occurs in emotionally-packed situations. This is true in my own life, too.
When we’re passionate about situations, we need to proceed with extreme caution when we sense whispers from the Holy Spirit.
Many people get this wrong in romantic relationships.
This is how it typically unfolds in the lives of the women I mentor: A friend sits on my couch or calls me on the phone and tells me about some of the red flags in her current dating relationship. I can see the man is not right for her, and I gently convey my perspective. My friend proceeds to tell me that she believes God told her to stay with him, and she’s decided to keep trying to make it work.
Typically, these relationships fall apart.
Sadly, it’s often after making a lifelong commitment under the covenant of marriage.
In these cases, the woman I am mentoring is often confused. She believed God told her to marry this man. Sometimes, the man declared he’d heard from God about their future together.
If God Told Him, God Will Also Tell You
We need to be very cautious of “God said” declarations from others. If God is telling this man you are going to marry him, pause and carefully discern whether God is telling you the same thing.
Whether it is a romantic relationship, a cause over which you are extremely passionate, or some specific dream that you deeply desire, be cautious about what you believe God is saying in these situations. Our emotions can be easily perceived as God’s quiet whisper.
Take your concern to a handful of older, wiser, trusted individuals who have been following Christ for a long time.
Sit with them while they help you sort through your emotions and ponder how God’s Word might lead you to make a decision that honors him.
2. We often miss God’s direction when we rush into decisions.
Most of us are eager to rush into big decisions when we feel passionate and excited.
I have a three-month rule for making major decisions. Before I commit to a major decision (whenever possible), I wait three months to see if my passion has dwindled. Often, after three months, I am able to clearly discern the best direction.
When it’s not possible to wait three months, consider waiting even a few days.
When my husband and I were looking to buy the home in which we would raise our children, a realtor showed us a small house surrounded by wooded land that seemed like a good fit. He also told us he needed a decision within 24 hours.
We really liked the house but did see a few potential issues, so we took some time to individually pray about where God was leading. After praying, we came together and decided that we both felt too rushed. We decided not to buy it.
We’re now thankful that we didn’t buy the house. God led us to a home that is much more suitable for our family and our needs.
Do you feel rushed?
If at all possible, give yourself time to seek God and make this decision.
3. We miss God’s voice when take the whisper one step too far.
I’ve mistaken the voice of God many times in this area.
Taking the whisper one step too far happens when God calls you to teach, and you immediately return to college to start working on your degree. In truth, God was simply nudging you to teach a Sunday school class at the church.
This might happen when God calls you to return to your love of painting. You automatically open an Etsy account to start selling your paintings, but you can’t figure out why no one is buying anything. In truth, God wanted you to paint quietly in your basement as an act of worship unto him alone.
It’s easy to sense a nudge from God and then take it to an extreme, turn it into a money-making scheme, or dump your life savings into it when God simply wants you to take one small step.
There is a time to pursue a dream, take a risk, and dive in with both feet. We should simply be wise in staying in step with God’s timing. The three-month rule has been a helpful tool for me in this area as well.
Before you sell the business, quit the job, or put the house on the market, give it three months, if at all possible. Seek wise counsel, dig deeply into the Word, pray, and use those three months to test what you sense God is leading you to do. At the end of three months, your plan might be very different.
The Good News for When You Miss God’s Voice
Finally, take heart.
There is grace for the times when we barrel down the wrong roads.
God is bigger than your ability to hear from him. There is no mistake he can’t use for his glory. There is no wrong path he can’t make right.
Find someone with a little more life experience to help you navigate in a way that honors God.
Try to hold true to your covenant commitments and your word.
Seek wisdom and trust that your life is still in his hands.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Stacey Pardoe
Featured Image by Rust & Leaf on Unsplash
