Who Have You Placed in the Seat of Power?

Who Have You Placed in the Seat of Power?

When church hurt reminds us where our true Source is found

My heart has been heavy.

After sitting with a group of women and hearing stories of hurt, loss, rejection, disappointment, betrayal, and grief, I went home carrying so much of what had been shared.

But there was one kind of hurt I found myself wrestling with especially deeply:

Church hurt.

Several women shared experiences of reaching out to a pastor or spiritual leader during some of the most difficult moments of their lives, hoping for guidance, encouragement, compassion, or simply someone to help them find their way—and instead, they walked away disappointed or wounded.

I’ve been thinking about that ever since.

Then this morning, I felt God bring an unexpected picture to my mind:

The Wizard of Oz.

We Were Told the Wizard Had the Answer

Think about Dorothy’s journey.

She desperately wanted to get home to Kansas.

Along the way, she met others who were searching too. The Scarecrow wanted a brain. The Tin Man wanted a heart. The Cowardly Lion wanted courage.

And everyone pointed them toward the same person:

Go see the Wizard.

Surely the great and powerful Wizard of Oz would have what they needed.

So they traveled toward him.

They endured a difficult journey. They faced obstacles, fear, danger, and attacks from the Wicked Witch. But they kept going because they believed that when they finally reached the Wizard, he would have the power to give them what they desperately needed.

Then they arrived.

And the curtain was pulled back.

The great and powerful Wizard they had placed so much hope in was simply a man.

And suddenly, I saw something.

Have We Done the Same Thing in the Church?

I wonder how many times we have unknowingly placed a pastor, teacher, ministry leader, mentor, prophet, counselor—or another Christian—in a seat that was never meant for them.

We think:

“If I can just talk to them, they’ll know what I need.”

“They’ll tell me what God is doing.”

“They’ll help me heal.”

“They’ll give me the answer.”

“They’ll know what I should do next.”

And then they don’t.

Maybe they don’t respond the way we hoped.

Maybe they misunderstand us.

Maybe they disappoint us.

Sometimes, tragically, people in spiritual authority can even misuse their position and cause genuine harm.

And when that happens, the pain can run incredibly deep because we weren’t only trusting a person—we had connected that person to our expectations of God.

But God never asked another human being to become our source.

He asked us to keep our eyes on Him.

“My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” — Psalm 121:2

People Can Point Us to God, But They Cannot Be God

Please hear my heart: spiritual leaders matter.

God gives teachers, pastors, mentors, friends, and other believers gifts that can strengthen and encourage us.

Scripture tells us that Christ gave leaders to the church to equip His people and build up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11–13).

We can learn from someone else’s journey.

We can receive wisdom.

We can receive encouragement.

We can receive prayer, love, correction, support, and hope.

Someone else’s testimony may even help us believe again.

But they cannot become our source.

There is only One Source.

Jesus said:

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself.” — John 15:4

The branch doesn’t survive because it is connected to another branch.

It survives because it is connected to the Vine.

That distinction matters.

Don’t Confuse the Gift With the Giver

A person may be incredibly gifted.

They may preach powerfully.

They may hear from God.

They may have wisdom, discernment, compassion, leadership, or an extraordinary testimony.

But every genuine spiritual gift still came from God.

James 1:17 reminds us:

“Every good and perfect gift is from above.”

So we must be careful not to become so captivated by someone’s gift that we forget the Giver.

The Holy Spirit isn’t reserved for the person holding the microphone.

If you belong to Christ, the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Jesus told His disciples:

“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things.” — John 14:26

Think about that.

We have been given access to the Holy Spirit.

We have God’s Word.

We have prayer.

We have direct access to the Father through Jesus Christ.

Yet sometimes we run from person to person asking everyone else what God is saying before we ever become still enough to ask Him ourselves.

Pull Back the Curtain

Maybe some of our disappointment comes when God allows the curtain to be pulled back.

We suddenly realize:

They’re human.

The pastor is human.

The teacher is human.

The ministry leader is human.

The person whose faith inspired you is human.

I am human.

We will misunderstand.

We will miss things.

We will have blind spots.

We will sometimes disappoint one another.

That doesn’t excuse abuse, manipulation, neglect, or harmful behavior. Accountability still matters, and naming genuine hurt is not dishonoring God.

But another person’s failure does not mean God failed you.

That’s an important distinction in healing from church hurt.

People can misrepresent His heart.

But they do not redefine His heart.

People can fail to show up.

God remains faithful.

People can reject you.

God still calls you His.

People can misunderstand your pain.

God knows every part of it.

Psalm 34:18 says:

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

The One Who Still Has the Power

There is only One who ultimately holds the power.

Only God can transform a heart.

Only God can restore what seems beyond restoration.

Only God can redeem years of pain and somehow weave them into purpose.

Only God can speak identity over us that no rejection can erase.

Only God can take what was meant for evil and bring redemption from it.

He is still the God who heals.

Still the God who restores.

Still the God who redeems.

Still the God of miracles.

Still the God who sees the woman crying when everyone else misunderstands her.

Still the God who finds the rejected woman at the well.

Still the God who calls Gideon a mighty warrior while Gideon is hiding.

Still the God who sees you.

Isaiah 61:1 says He came:

“to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives.”

That’s our Source.

So Let Me Ask You…

Who have you placed in the seat of power?

Is it your pastor?

A ministry leader?

A spouse?

A mentor?

A friend?

A teacher?

Someone whose spiritual gifts you admire?

Have you unknowingly expected a person to give you something that ultimately can only come from God?

Maybe today God is lovingly pulling back the curtain—not to make you distrust people, but to help you put people back into their proper place.

Honor them.

Learn from them.

Receive wisdom from them.

Pray for them.

Allow healthy people to walk alongside you.

But don’t worship the vessel.

Don’t mistake the gift for the Giver.

And don’t make another human being responsible for being your source.

Hebrews 12:2 tells us exactly where our eyes belong:

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

Not fixing our eyes on a pastor.

Not fixing our eyes on a ministry.

Not fixing our eyes on another woman or man.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus.

Because when every curtain is pulled back, every title is removed, every platform disappears, and every human being is revealed for what we truly are—people desperately dependent upon grace—

Jesus is still Jesus.

He is still faithful.

He is still present.

He is still speaking.

He is still healing.

And He is still the Source.

So today, maybe the question isn’t simply:

“Who hurt me?”

Maybe healing also invites us to ask:

“Who have I placed in the seat of power that belongs only to God?”

Pull back the curtain.

Put people back in their rightful place.

And put your eyes back on Jesus.

Because the power was never behind the curtain.

The power has always belonged to God.

Love,

Tricia