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\nSometimes<\/strong> our feelings silence<\/strong> our faith<\/strong>. Feelings can be so big that they\u2019re all we hear: friends fail you. A loved one is gone. You can\u2019t find what you need (a job, a home, a friend). While it\u2019s important to notice our feelings and not suppress them, it\u2019s essential to see them as information and not our GPS. Some feelings can be the biggest liars in the universe.<\/p>\n Are your fears so loud<\/strong> that you can\u2019t hear<\/strong> the still, small voice of God<\/strong>? In Exodus 14:10, the Israelites were terrified and cried out to the LORD <\/em>when they saw the Egyptian army in position to attack.<\/em> Moses communicated God\u2019s response: Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.<\/em> We know the rest of the story\u2014God brought His people through the Red Sea on dry ground. He kept them safe.<\/p>\n But sometimes<\/strong> the \u201cRed Sea\u201d doesn\u2019t part, and problems<\/strong> can seem endless<\/strong>. For over two decades, Andrew and Norine Brunson’s life as missionaries in Turkey\u00a0 was fulfilling\u2014 starting churches, helping refugees, and hosting a house of prayer. Then the government of Turkey falsely accused Dr. Brunson of terrorism, resulting in 735 days of imprisonment.<\/p>\n Dr. Brunson told Open Doors USA that his \u201ctwo years in prison were marked by what I would call the silence of God. Because my past experience with Him was really rich, to have that intimacy removed led to a fence around my heart toward God.\u201d The only Christian in prison, visits from his wife Norine provided his only Christian contact. After breaking physically, spiritually, and emotionally during his first year in prison, he experienced God rebuilding him during the second year. He explained, \u201cIn my weakness, at the bottom of my pit, I knew I might only be able to turn slightly in His direction, but even if I turned one degree toward Him, that was all the difference in the world than turning one degree away<\/strong>. That mindset positioned me into a place where He could begin to rebuild me…It was a decision of the will to pursue Him. And… persevering into certain disciplines that, as I practiced them again and again, rebuilt me.\u201d<\/p>\n The first discipline:<\/strong> dancing, applying Matthew 5:11-12a\u2014Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and falsely say all kind of evil things about you on account of me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. <\/em>He said doing that day after day, even though he had no feeling, helped him focus on Heaven more and built a stronger obedience.<\/p>\n A second discipline<\/strong>: worshipping God, even though he didn\u2019t feel like doing so. He says, as I worshipped, it ended up building in me a commitment to worship in all circumstances. <\/em><\/p>\n A third discipline: <\/strong>prayer with his family at the same time each day, from the three countries where they lived.<\/p>\n A fourth discipline: <\/strong>fasting two days a week.<\/p>\n A fifth discipline: <\/strong>sharing a daily Bible reading plan with his wife.<\/p>\n In his book, God\u2019s Hostage: A True Story of Persecution, Imprisonment, and Perseverance,<\/em> Dr. Brunson describes imagining a high-tech safe with a hand scanner on the front: \u201cGod and I were the only ones able to open it. I took each of my questions and doubts and deliberately placed them in that box,\u201d he wrote, adding his prayer, \u201cGod, I am locking these questions away. I am not going to demand answers<\/strong>. I do not understand, I am confused, and I am hurt. But these questions and doubts will remain in this box until a different time.<\/strong> You can open this box if you want, but I am leaving it sealed. I don\u2019t need to know the answers in order to continue my relationship with you.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n What additional disciplines can help us hear God\u2019s voice?<\/p>\n\n
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