This past September, we held our second annual Revival of Hope in Greenville, North Carolina. There were moments while planning the event that I questioned whether I should even do it. And no matter how much I pleaded with God to show me His will, there was only silence.
On top of that, I was exhausted, as was the team. We were all carrying heavy workloads while trying to navigate a newly activated database system. The thought of adding yet another commitment to our already full plates could make a macho man cry.
I didn’t have peace about not holding the event, though, because I hadn’t heard a definite “no” from God either. So I moved forward, albeit cautiously.
Years ago, my former pastor, Rob Morford, had taught me that if I wasn’t hearing from God, I should go back to the last instruction He’d given me and move forward from there.
So I thought back. The last instruction I’d had for the Revival of Hope was to erect a simple tent on a particular piece of property so that God could move in the hearts of people from my community. I also knew God had called this ministry to deliver hope through authentic storytelling. I clung to those instructions as I started planning and continued to ask God to guide my steps (Psalm 119:133).
I was so relieved when months into planning, I heard the Lord say, “There’s one of your speakers.” This brief break of silence happened during a meeting in my office with a woman named Reneé, and it gave me exactly what I needed to keep moving forward.
I had not met Reneé before that day. She’d requested a meeting to ask me to speak at a local nonprofit’s fundraising event she was holding. She also asked me to sponsor a table. I liked this bold, beautiful lady and asked about her God-story. She shared how she’d come to know Jesus, finishing with, “The Lord set me free from an incarceration of the mind!”
God used her words to confirm His choice. She had no idea that I’d chosen the theme of freedom for the Revival or that I’d often commented on how a person doesn’t have to be physically incarcerated to be incarcerated. She was two for two.
Sure that I’d received a heavenly instruction, I invited Reneé to be a part of our speaker lineup. Months later, as I sat under the tent listening to this beautiful woman speak, I praised the Lord, saying, “God, You sure knew what You were doing with this one.” I was in awe of the power, conviction, courage, beauty, and grace she exuded. (You can read Reneé’s story on page 22, as well as watch all the speakers’ testimonies at youtube.com/@victoriouslivingmin, and on your correctional tablets through the Pando and Edovo platforms.)
A couple of months before the event, one of my teammates admitted to feeling unclear about event details. “It just feels so different than last time,” Carla said. “I feel like we’re missing something or not giving enough effort.” Then it hit me.
Last year, we had many challenges. It had taken months just to get an address so that we could apply for permits, power, and security, among other things. This year, the planning was simpler, and the lack of conflict made us think we were doing something wrong. But we weren’t. We were right in the center of God’s will.
That’s not to say I didn’t make some mistakes along the way; I made plenty. Or that we didn’t have disappointments. But none of that hindered God’s plans. He graciously redirected those missteps by realigning people and things without the first hint of condemnation. Those realignments proved to me that God was at work even though He was silent.
I came across Psalm 126:5–6 in my daily reading just a week or so before the event. It says, “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest” (NLT).
I sensed God saying, “Kristi, I’ve seen the tears and sacrifices you all have made. I’ve also seen how you’ve kept moving forward, despite not having all the answers. Precious daughter, warm up your vocals and get ready to shout, because harvest time is here!”
Those shouts of joy came on September 12 and 13, when hundreds of people from our diverse community gathered under the open-air tent on that normally vacant property. There was more rejoicing as team members returned from sowing seeds of hope and reaping a harvest in the local jail.
God was obviously in our midst at every event, both in the jail and under the tent. As I listened to the various speakers, I was amazed at how God had woven all their messages so seamlessly together. Each one built on the other, and not one speaker had known beforehand what the other was going to say.
At the end of the revival, a young woman told me that the Revival of Hope was one of the most wonderful events she’d ever attended and asked who had curated the content. I could only give one answer, “God.”
When the final event was finished, I collected my Bible and notebook and whispered to the Lord, “It’s over.” I was grateful for all He’d done. But before my Southern self could finish drawing out the “r” on over, I heard, “It’s just getting started.” I smiled.
Evidently, God’s got a lot more “planting with tears” planned for our ministry. But that’s just fine with me. His good work always brings a reward of a bountiful harvest, as long as we don’t give up (Galatians 6:9).
Perhaps today, you’re waiting for some heaven-sent instructions. Don’t let God’s silence paralyze you with indecision.
If you are truly seeking His will and desiring to walk in His ways, God’s Holy Spirit will lead you in the right direction. So take a step of faith.
If you happen to misstep, it’s okay. Repent and acknowledge you’ve made a mistake, learn from it, and then be willing to try again. God will get you back on track. Proverbs 24:16 (NLT) promises, “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.” How? Because God will be there to help them.
So don’t be afraid to take a step. Simply walk in humility, listening and watching as you go, trusting that God is at work, even if He’s silent.
Kristi Overton Johnson encourages and equips people for victory through her writings, speaking engagements, and prison ministry. To learn more, go to kojministries.org.
