“When God speaks to us, it does not prove we are righteous or even right. It does not even prove that we have correctly understood what He said. The infallibility of the messenger and the message does not guarantee the infallibility of our reception. Humility is always in order.” ~ A.W. Tozer
Did you ever feel confident that you heard a message from God only to find out you were wrong?
I have had this happen to me and it really challenged my faith.
It was about five years ago when a woman I knew called me to tell me that her husband had moved out because he was going to divorce her. She did not want the divorce but felt hopeless.
Since helping wounded marriages is my passion and because I know that God hates divorce, I wanted to encourage and support this sister in Christ. I told her that we needed to pray the heavens down for God to change her husband’s mind.
So we began praying for the Lord to soften this man’s heart. She and I would meet once a week, and we prayed for healing and renewal within their marriage.
A lot of exciting things began to happen that felt like confirmation that we were in the center of God’s will. Each of us would be led to Scriptures that felt like God was saying that this marriage would indeed be restored.
On top of this, one day when I went to her house to pray, God gave me a clear and vivid vision. It was so powerful. In this vision I saw her husband sitting at the head of their dining table, she was sitting on his right along with their children. On the wall I saw a huge cross. Her husband was holding her hand and praying to Jesus out loud (her husband was not a Christian).
I was so confident that God was telling me through this vision that this man would come to know Christ and that this marriage was going to be restored.
I prayed and believed in the reconciliation of this couple for almost 2 years. I had never been more confident that I had heard the Lord correctly and that there would be no divorce.
I was wrong. They were divorced.
I was heartbroken. Along with being sad, I was confused. How had I been so wrong in hearing God’s voice? Was my vision not real? Were those Scriptures of restoration I had been led to read not for this couple? How could this be?
The doubt I felt after this experience led me to feel concerned about my intimacy with Christ. I started questioning my ability to discern His leading. How could I trust that I would hear God correctly on other things in the future?
Although it wasn’t easy admitting that I had misinterpreted God’s message, I began to seek Him with all my questions and doubts.
Here is what I learned about interpreting God’s voice:
1. Sometimes the vision is correct, but our interpretation of what God is saying isn’t
We have to be willing to accept that because we are humans we make mistakes. We must realize that sometimes we can be eager to believe a message that really wasn’t from God.
Pray into your situation and be open to the message being different than what you expected or thought it was. This is very humbling, but the truth is we can so easily allow our human desires and feelings overshadow God’s truth.
In my case, with my vision of my friend’s husband, I have come to realize that although I had assumed the woman sitting on his right was my friend, it was not my friend. Looking back, I now am aware that I never saw her face. I had just assumed it was her.
This man has since remarried, and although he is still not a Christian, I am wondering if he will be one day with his new wife. I now feel that my vision was for him and for the salvation of his soul, not his marriage. You see, I have a vested interest in this man. He is a close and dear relative of mine.
2. Sometimes the vision is correct, but our interpretation of His timing isn’t.
Trust in God’s timing. Maybe you heard from God accurately, but it’s for a different season.
Joseph from the Bible is an example (read his story here) of this. At the young age of seventeen, Joseph had a few dreams from God telling him that he would rule over many, including his older brothers. Thirteen years went by before this became a reality and Joseph was made the ruler of all of Egypt. Joseph’s vision was correct, but it took a long time before it happened.
3. Don’t let anger take over when you realize your interpretation of God’s message was incorrect
We are constantly in a spiritual battle. Satan, the enemy of our soul, is always looking for opportunity to discourage God’s children. Don’t believe any lies he may try to deceive you into believing.
If you have ever felt disappointed because you were confident that you had a vision or a message from God, but then found out you were wrong, talk to God about what you’re feeling. Let Him teach you whatever it may be that He wants to teach you.
We must remember that we are the student and God is our teacher.
Always keep a teachable heart towards God.
We all misinterpret God at times. What’s important is to continue to trust that hearing from God is a part of the sanctification process of your spiritual growth.
I would love to hear of a time you may have misinterpreted a message from God. Leave me a comment below on what was it like for you and how did you handle it?
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” ~ Isaiah 55:8
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