Don’t Let Your Feelings Drown Out God’s Voice
Back to How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible
When we have already decided what we want God to say and anything else begins to seem unbearable, and – as always – we have a spiritual enemy who would love to trip us up, trying to discern God’s guidance becomes precariously difficult.
Try not to let strong emotions – passionate longings, pain, shame, fear, selfishness, or resentment – drown out the Spirit’s whispers. That’s a tall order when grappling with emotionally charged issues in which one’s feelings can rage almost uncontrollably. At the very least, however, you can be acutely aware of how strong yearnings for a specific answer greatly magnify the possibility of distorting your perception of what God is saying.
Do what you can – and pray that God will do the rest – to rein in your longings and bring your personal preferences as close to neutral as you can manage. I pray the next paragraph will sober your passions enough to save you from tragedy.
If, from heaven, you were to look back in time on what you currently think is the best option and, with everything revealed, you would still see it as the best option, then it is truly what your loving Lord wants for you.
Remember, however, that millions of marriages turn out to be a most horrific mistake that scars and haunts people to their dying day. These people were once madly in love; desperate to marry the object of their passion because they are certain it would be heaven on earth. We can get it devastatingly wrong, not just with marriage, but with any other craving.
When reality hits, our darling fantasies can so easily dissolve into nightmares. It is terrifyingly common to be intoxicated by an illusion. Likewise, we can dread things that eventually turn out to be a most wondrous opportunity that we dare not miss.
Paul Little rightly said that God’s will is the greatest good his infinite wisdom can devise. There is no greater security in the universe than snuggling in the centre of God’s will. What is to be feared is every alternative to God’s will. Whatever God’s will for you is, you will spend eternity revelling in heartfelt gratitude to God for the perfection of his loving wisdom, and celebrating the ecstasy in having chosen it.
If you can absorb the truth of how good God’s will is and how secure it makes one, it will calm your spirit as you wait for him to speak. As the calming of a raging storm makes it easier to hear a conversation, so the calming of your passions and fears will help you hear the Lord.