I receive many emails from people wondering why they cannot hear from God. The
tone of the email is always filled with despair and confusion. Once these people
begin, with the help of God, to dig down to the root of God's "silence", they
are often amazed to find hidden strongholds that are deafening their ears.
There are many such strongholds; however, there are four that stand out as being
the most common, and the next four devotionals will be focusing on these each of
these in turn.
The first, most common stronghold is usually unforgiveness. Try to imagine the
following prayer conversation:
Us: "Why don't you answer me Lord?"
God: "How can I, when you cannot even hear the cries of your very own brothers?"
Us: "But they are evil, Lord! They do terrible things. They have hurt me and the
ones I love! I don't even associate myself with them."
God: "I died for them so that they could be forgiven. I am the One who justifies
them; who are YOU to condemn them?"
That puts it in a slightly different perspective, doesn't it? Jesus tells us
that: ". . . God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who
does his will." (John 9:31 NIV). Another time He reminds us that we need to
forgive to be forgiven! "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins,
your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matt 6:14-15 NIV)! He even gave us a
story to illustrate this truth, the story of the wicked servant: "Then the
master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all
that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on
your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over
to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 'This is
how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother
from your heart.'" (Matt 18:32-35 NIV)
Okay, it's important because God told us to do it. But let's be real here.
Forgiving those who have deeply hurt us is a human impossibility.
True.
So how can we forgive if it isn't humanly possible?
The answer lies in blending our humanity with His divinity. Only by depending
solely on Jesus can this humanly impossible endeavor be made possible. It is not
surprising that those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus are
unable to forgive, no matter how small the offense.
Always remember: unforgiveness is in direct violation to His directives to love,
and when we choose to not forgive, we are living in rebellion to His authority:
"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one
another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Col 3:13-14 NIV). Also remember that
what keeps God from hearing our prayers is not God, but us! "Surely the arm of
the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your
iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from
you, so that he will not hear." (Isaiah 59:1,2 NIV) Only when this channel of
unforgiveness, by the grace of God, is broken, will we be able to enjoy open
communication with Him.
Is it any wonder that we are reminded again and again in the New Testament to
forgive?
While at work one day, I received the order to prepare my class for a Christmas
concert. The problem was that I only had seven school days to prepare! Quite
naturally I grumbled and complained, quite dissatisfied with those who had
authority over me. Only by God's grace was my part of the concert a great
success. It was even used by God to provide a blessing for the entire audience.
Nevertheless, bitterness had already invaded my soul, and my prayer life had
already been turned into a one-sided grumbling session. I couldn't hear God's
voice. What was wrong? I couldn't think of anything I had done that was wrong. I
had cooperated with the people who were in authority over me. They are the ones
who deserved blame! Then I realized that my bitterness had turned my soul into a
tidal wave of unforgiveness that was already reaching out to destroy. I
repented, and through God's grace I was able to approach my vice-principal the
next day. The conversation went something like this:
"I have a confession to make. I have been upset with you these last couple of
weeks. I wasn't content with your last-minute decision to put together a
Christmas concert. In fact, I was pretty bitter. Please forgive me. I was wrong.
You really try to care for our school…"
My vice-principal turned around and gave me a big hug. I had been forgiven. And
as a result, my prayer life, as well as my workplace, took a turn for the
better!
"But," you ask, "what if she had not forgiven you?"
The following story illustrates this scenario:
Jane (this is not her real name) had been physically abused by her father since
she was seven years old. Once her dad was apprehended, she found herself
abandoned by all of her friends. But God had better plans for her. She was
adopted by one of her family members who lived in a different country. There she
slowly began to heal from the abuse, and she eventually became a Christian.
As she went through her life, however, she realized that bitterness still held a
stronghold over her. She decided to call her dad and forgive him.
At first the conversation went very well. This changed however, when she started
to share her faith with him. He began to swear at her, and eventually he hung up
on her. Unfortunately, communication between the two of them was never repaired.
Jane had forgiven her father, but he had rejected her forgiveness. But it didn't
matter. She had still done her part. Jane now knew how Jesus must have felt when
He was cursed and spit at, when His gift to mankind was not accepted.
Although her dad rejected her, Jane continues to pray for him. She is at peace,
and she enjoys a profound relationship with her Maker.
Remember this if you have tried reconciliation negotiations, but the offender or
the offended has turned on you: You are the one in the middle of God's will.
You've done what you need to do. The changing of the other heart is God's
domain!
Never forget that the first step is for each of us to forgive. We cannot expect
to be forgiven when we cannot forgive others. And we can't expect God to hear
and answer our prayers when we cannot reach out in love to those who have hurt
us.
Is there a possible stronghold of unforgiveness in your life? Come to Jesus and
learn from Him. The One who willingly died for his enemies will help you be
victorious. His blood of forgiveness will transform you into a beautiful
butterfly; for the first time, freedom will be found, freedom from
unforgiveness.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
(Matt 11:28-30 NIV)
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.