Devotional

When God’s Voice Makes Us Uncomfortable

A short midweek reflection to carry into your week.

August 26, 2026 Pastor Scott Uselman 4 min read

Part of the message: God’s Voice is Distinctive

Reflect on how God’s call can stir discomfort, and why that discomfort may be an invitation to life.

Scripture

¹Early in the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the LORD: ²“This is what the LORD says: Stand in the courtyard of the LORD’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the LORD. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word. ³Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. ⁴Say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says: If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, ⁵and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened), ⁶then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city a curse among all the nations of the earth.’ ”

⁷The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the LORD. ⁸But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the LORD had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You must die! ⁹Why do you prophesy in the LORD’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?” And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

¹⁰When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the LORD and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD’s house. ¹¹Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”

¹²Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people: “The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard. ¹³Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God. Then the LORD will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. ¹⁴As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. ¹⁵Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”

¹⁶Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death! He has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.”

¹⁷Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, ¹⁸“Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says:

¹⁸“ ‘Zion will be plowed like a field,

¹⁸Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,

¹⁸the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.’

¹⁹“Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah fear the LORD and seek his favor? And did not the LORD relent, so that he did not bring the disaster he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!”

²⁰(Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim was another man who prophesied in the name of the LORD; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. ²¹When King Jehoiakim and all his officers and officials heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death. But Uriah heard of it and fled in fear to Egypt. ²²King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. ²³They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)

²⁴Furthermore, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

We like the idea of God’s voice being gentle or affirming, but what happens when it unsettles us or pushes right up against something we want to hide? Scott Uselman reminded us that God’s voice isn’t vague positivity. It is distinctive because it calls us to turn: to drop what we are clinging to, and to draw near to grace that is not automatic.

Where do you sense God stirring you? Maybe there’s an area you hope no one will notice, a way of life or belief you protect because change feels risky or embarrassing. Maybe you feel the urge to speak truth to someone else and are afraid you’ll make them angry. God’s call shows up in these places, not to shame you, but to invite you deeper. Sometimes the surest mark that God is speaking is the discomfort you feel. If you start to bristle, or your mind rushes to defend yourself, pause there.

God does not push for guilt, but He does nudge us into honesty and into the open, where grace can finally do its real work. Repentance is not performing sadness or trying to muster perfect feelings. It starts with a simple turn, willing or even unwilling at first, trusting that God’s grace will meet you in motion and begin to change your heart. You are not left to do this alone.

Meditation Focus: When discomfort rises as you hear God’s word, ask what it might be inviting you to receive or release, not just what it exposes.

Practical Step: This week, set aside just ten minutes to sit quietly. Ask God to show you anything in your life that needs a change. Without rushing to fix or argue, simply listen. If a person or situation comes to mind, pray for courage to take the next honest step.

Closing Prayer God, You are good and Your ways are true, even when I resist them. There are words You have spoken that make me uneasy, but I know they are meant for my healing. I offer You my trust in the places that I am most uncertain, holding nothing back from Your light.

Give me what I need for today, the grace to turn from paths that do not honor You, the honesty to hear Your call, and the willingness to name where I need help. Forgive me when I cling to comfort or fear the response of others more than Your heart. Make me whole, and help me to offer the same hope and truth to those around me.

Draw us closer to Your voice and deliver us from any fear that keeps us silent or stubborn. Let us want what You want and trust the grace You freely give. Amen.

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Hilltop Wesleyan Church

735 Golden Creek Rd, Liberty, SC 29657

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