When the Ship Sinks but the Promise Still Stands

We’ve just stepped into a new year, and usually this is where pastors announce a big theme or prophetic word for the church.

But this time, I felt the Lord do something different.
Instead of only giving you a word for the house, I believe God wants to help you learn how to hear a word for yourself.
Because once you can recognize God’s voice personally, it doesn’t just adjust your life a little. It changes everything.

When Life Doesn’t Match the Picture in Your Head
Most of us enter seasons with a mental picture:

• This is how my marriage will look…
• This is where my career will land…
• This is what my calling will feel like…

Then reality shows up, and it doesn’t look like what we imagined.
You know God is with you. That’s not the hard part.

The real struggle is:

“God, why are You leading me in a direction that doesn’t look anything like what I expected?”

You’re convinced the goal is “north,” but God seems to be leading you “south.”
Here’s the key:

God will often change how you get there without changing what He promised.

He changes the vehicle, not the vision.

God Is Not Hiding From You
A lot of believers feel like hearing God is for the “spiritually elite.”
But Jesus said:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27, NKJV)

He didn’t say:

• My pastors hear My voice
• My prophets hear My voice

He said “My sheep.” If you belong to Jesus, that includes you.

God is not:

• Playing hide-and-seek with your future
• Dangling His will just out of reach

He invites you to:

• Ask and receive
• Seek and find
• Knock and see doors opened (Matthew 7:7)

He has plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11).
He created you for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10).
He sent the Holy Spirit to guide you into truth (John 16:13).
If He made you on purpose… He wants to speak into that purpose.

It’s Not God’s Volume… It’s Our Posture
If God is speaking, why do so many people feel like they rarely hear Him?
Often it’s because:

• We’re too rushed to slow down
• Life is too loud to listen
• We’ve filled our minds with too many other voices

Or — we want control.

We secretly prefer:

“Lord, show me the whole plan, and then I’ll decide if I’m in.”

But God usually says:

“Give Me your yes — and I’ll lead you step by step.”

Most of the time, He doesn’t hand us the roadmap.
He gives us the next turn.

Four Everyday Ways God Speaks
Let’s get practical. Here are four simple ways God often speaks:

1. Through Scripture
The Bible is your anchor.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, NKJV)

If you want personal direction, don’t neglect God’s Word. The Holy Spirit will make verses come alive in the exact season you need them.

2. Through the Inward Witness
The Holy Spirit doesn’t just give goosebumps — He guides.
He brings:

• A deep sense of peace
• A quiet check: “Don’t do that.”
• A nudge: “Wait,” “Slow down,” “Go talk to them.”

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14, NKJV)

3. Through Wise Counsel
God confirms direction through mature believers — people who know His Word and bear fruit.
Not just anyone’s opinion, but the counsel of those who:

• Have walked where you’re trying to go
• Are honest enough to say “Not yet” or “That’s not wise”

4. Through Prophetic Encouragement
God still uses prophetic words and words of knowledge — but they should be weighed, not worshiped.

Ask:

• Does this line up with Scripture?
• Does it confirm what God has already been stirring in me?

If not, put it on the shelf. The same Holy Spirit speaking through others lives inside you.

When the Ship Sinks: Paul in Acts 27

In Acts 27, Paul is on a ship in a violent storm. It looks like all is lost.
Right in the middle of it, he stands up and delivers this word:

“None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down.” (Acts 27:22, NKJV, paraphrased)

Not the word you and I would have asked for.
We want:
“The storm will pass and the ship will be fine.”

But God said:

• The ship is going down
• You are going to make it

The ship was never the promise.
It was just the transportation.

Later, Scripture says:

“…the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.” (Acts 27:44, NKJV)

Many clung to broken pieces of what God had already said was sinking.
That’s what we often do:

• Holding onto a job God moved us out of
• Clinging to relationships He ended
• Gripping old methods and old seasons He’s already shut down

We think the ship is our security.
God says, “I don’t need the ship. I need you on the island.”

For Paul, the island became the place of miracles and revival in Acts 28.
The ship had to break so the assignment could continue.
Sometimes what feels like loss is actually a pivot.

Why Hearing God Matters So Much
When you have a word from God, you can face storms differently.
When:

• The job shifts
• The relationship breaks
• The plan falls apart

You can say:

“I don’t know how this ends… but I know what He said.”

A word from God:

• Keeps you from panicking when things shake
• Helps you release what He’s sinking
• Anchors you in the truth that your future is not attached to the boat — it’s attached to His voice

A Simple Challenge for This Season
Instead of only asking, “What’s the word for our church this year?”
Ask:

“Lord, what is Your word for me in this season?”

Here’s a simple way to do that:

1. Set aside some quiet time — even 15–20 minutes.
2. Put away distractions.
3. Pray:
   

   “Holy Spirit, what do You want to say to me for this year/this season?”

4. Start writing what you sense: words, phrases, verses, impressions.

5. Let Scripture and wise counsel help confirm what you’re hearing.

It might be one word.
It might be one sentence.
But one word from God in due season can carry you through the storm.

Closing Prayer
Father, thank You that You are not distant, silent, or hiding from us.
Thank You that through Jesus, the veil was torn and we are brought near.
Today, I ask You to soften my heart and quiet my soul.
Teach me to recognize Your voice.
Show me any place where I’ve been clinging to a “ship” You’re trying to sink,
and give me the courage to let go and follow You.
Speak to me in this season—through Your Word, by Your Spirit, and in the still, small whisper.
Give me a word that will anchor me when circumstances shake.
I surrender my plans, my timelines, and my expectations,
and I say: You have my yes.
Lead me, guide me, and align my steps with Your will.
In Jesus’ name, amen.