Hibernating Ministers V

Jeremiah 42 deals with a team desperate for God’s word and direction. They go to Jeremiah for intercession and direction, promising to do everything God told the prophet.

Ten days later, God speaks. But He speaks outside their options.

They dismiss the direction God was giving, even accusing the prophet of being a hireling of their enemy to facilitate their destruction. They thus open themselves to judgment for seeking God’s will yet refusing to heed it when it does not meet their circumstantial logic.

Many times that is what a hurting spirit does to us. We limit our options to our circumstantial logic. And that is the most dangerous thing we can ever do as we will many times lock out God’s options.

That is the reason we are talking about hibernating ministers; they were so hurt that ministry, especially the place they underwent the hurt becomes off limits. Yet that is the place God does the healing most effectually.

Even more drastic is the fact that our hurt can easily ascribe contrary motives to God and people He uses to reach out to us. We then move in the direction that many times will be contrary to the one God had mapped out for us.

Hearing God clearly is the solution to the hurt we have or are undergoing. Only His word and direction offers the balm with the capacity to deal with our wounds and sores.

And we can see that clearly when we study David. 1 Samuel 30 deals with such an instance. David and his team have lost everything. Their families have been captured and they did not know head or tail of where and how they were.

His army was so discouraged that they thought to stone him. Again that is very natural to the hurting. They blamed him for their calamity, as if he had also not lost his.

But what does he do? He doesn’t try to reason with them or even defend himself, though he was hurting just like them.

He looks for the priest. He needs to know what God was saying about the situation. Once he gets God’s take he is then able to move, not earlier as logic would have dictated. This was because he had God’s assurance of victory.

That is the reason we see him passing the law that there was no difference in the spoils between the army that fought and the army that was left with the supplies. That was because it was in no doubt that God was the one who not only promised the victory, but also given it.

That explains the reason David was able to not only deal with his hurt and betrayal, but also help others deal with theirs.

We can never experience God’s healing outside His word. We can never enjoy that healing outside His direction.

I understand that you are hurting. I understand that you are in pain. But I am sure that God not only understand your pain but He has a clear path to His healing touch.

God can never give you direction inconsistent to what is best for you.

What has God been telling you since you were killed and the ministry you were doing destroyed? Do you even hear or did the injury make you dumb to any other voice outside your groans?

Have you trashed God’s direction because it appears as if it was from or for the same people who hurt you so?

Suppose I told you that God will never move until you move in the direction He orders?