When the seven thunders spoke, I was preparing to write, but just then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and do not write it down.” Revelation 10:4
New English Translation
In this chapter of Revelation, we get to know about an angel who was wrapped in a cloud, read about an edible scroll, and learn there are seven thunders who spoke. All these amazing things are open for us to see, but what the seven thunders spoke is not. Though magnificent thing after magnificent thing is revealed, God still has the authority to keep to Himself certain things that we do not need to know at this time. He chooses what to share based on what is necessary for us to have and what is not.
Life is very much the same. God shows you so many things, whether it be what school to choose, what career to pursue, the friends to make, and more. Yet, in the midst of all the things He’s already revealed, there are still so many things that He has chosen to keep to Himself for the time being.
I don’t know if you’re anything like me, but I like having answers and being able to confidently say I am doing things right. Quite honestly, not knowing what the right direction is drives me a little crazy. Instead of holding onto the fact that, like in Revelation 10, God has every right to hold back information until I’m ready for it, I start wondering if I’ve already messed up royally, whether I’ve been ignoring God the whole time, or whether I just wasn’t recognizing His voice.
Though it can be so easy to assume the worst about yourself when you’re not seeing the answers to your questions plainly, that’s not necessarily always the case. Sometimes, God is simply waiting because you don’t need the answers right now. Think about this: how distracted would we be if we knew what the seven thunders said? We’d find every bunny trail possible as we pick it apart and overanalyze it. Like with all the other things in Revelation, we’d get so set on figuring things out that we’d miss the beauty of the book. The same can happen in life. God gives us an inch and we try to turn it into a mile. So, of course He’s going to hold some things back until you need them! He’s protecting you from yourself.
Rather than being frustrated in the uncertainty and waiting, we need to remember God’s got this, and He doesn’t need us to make things happen. I am as guilty as anyone of getting too eager and diving head first into what God said without asking Him how He wants me to approach it. No wonder He wants to keep me in the dark sometimes! Let’s remember that God’s looking out for you. He’s trying to make things easier for you in the long-run, not harder and more irritating.
My challenge to you is to reframe your perspective this week. What questions have you been laying before God that seem to have no direction or guidance still? Instead of feeling like you’re missing God’s leading, ask God for the patience to wait on His timing for the answer. He sees more than you, and He isn’t going to miss the right time. Do you trust Him?