There are some times when God does stuff, and He doesn't tell us. When He doesn't tell you, it's not because He doesn't care about you; it's just He's going to move anyway, and He's not asking for your opinion about it.
You just get upset every time that God didn't ask my opinion, or consult me about what He was about to do.
Many things seem to just happen and it just upsets us. We get very distressed, very upset, out of kilter.
We have to realise that God is always God. He doesn't always tell us about the things that'll happen.
How many, when you chose to follow Jesus, had no idea what that might incur?
Many may very well have not decided to follow Jesus, if you had known all the things that might happen on the way? So God doesn't tell us.
Our journey is a journey of faith - which means you don't always know what's going to happen; or understand what's happening.
You do have to come to a place of Trust, and Rest.
Our dilemma is: we want to know everything; and when we're not informed, ‘nobody told me’, we get upset. God wants you to learn how to handle these issues in life.
I have found God does not consult me about everything, He doesn't tell me about everything; and sometimes happen that surprise me.
You've got to take it, and learn how to handle it, or lean into God.
Sometimes God is silent; and part of the problem is, we get so familiar in our relationship, that we just make assumptions on everything continuing like it is.
I believe that the church in the West, particularly, is needing to make massive changes, massive changes.
The more I have been praying, and looking at this over this last year, the more I am aware that church is just needing reformation, to engage fully in what God wants to do in our nation.
That means changing. That means: you changing, and me.
I'm on a journey of change. I've found it to be disturbing, painful, distressing; a challenging journey that God is with us in.
God wants to help you. It's so wonderful that God is with you, and promises to help you; so why is sometimes God silent? Why is it, that God doesn't always tell you what He wants to do?
I have found it to be a recurring experience, that: God, I can move very strongly, and God's speaking through me to all kinds of people, about all sorts of things.
Then the thing I need to hear, I hear nothing. It's quite a paradox: you can be used of God to touch other people; but the very need you have, doesn't seem to get answered. Why is that?
2 Chronicles 32:31 – “God withdrew from Hezekiah, in order that He might try him, to know all that was in his heart”.
Did God forsake him? No, He didn't. He just drew back His tangible presence, went for a season; that God might see what was in him, what would come up.
Sometimes God will let you face an experience which is painful, challenging, and difficult. You don't feel like God is there; and what He wants to do is to draw up out of your heart what is there - so you can see it, and grow and change.
Sometimes we forget that this 'following Jesus' is a lifelong journey of change. You think: I repented ages ago; I said I was sorry, I've done my thing. Now I'm trying to live a good life.
Actually no - repentance is a foundation, upon which we build our life.
Repentance is about: changing how we think, to align with what God is doing and saying to us.
Sometimes God will let us go through things: 1) to reveal what is in our heart. When you're under stress and pressure, what’s inside comes up; and it comes up in a way that's not always nice.