God’s Silence
Miraculous Provision
Throughout my life I have heard stories of God’s miraculous provision for those in need. Boxes of food that arrived at the doorstep of those whose cupboards were bare. Envelopes from an anonymous donor that appeared in a mailbox in time to pay a bill. A man fell in love and married a widow raising children alone. A physician with special training came on the scene for a person with a troublesome illness. All of these true stories strengthen our faith and encourage our hearts that God is aware of the trials of life and can rescue us from our struggles.
Unmerited Hardship
This morning I was on the phone with a friend who lives on the other side of the world. What a gift that I can chat with her free of charge on my cell phone. She is a compassionate, courageous, and loving woman that I am proud to know. She has generously given permission for me to share some of her story with you here.
My friend lives in a country where most people have cell phones. But in her country, there is corruption, injustice, danger in the streets day and night, and a lack of food and fuel. Medical care is spotty at best, catering only to the very rich. Her father has a serious illness and cannot get an appointment for at least three more months. She and her children live without heat in winter. And she is a follower of Jesus.
Envelopes of money for my friend have not arrived in the mail when needed and boxes of food haven’t shown up at her door. Her abusive ex-husband gives her no money to help in raising the children. She would love to be married again and have a person to share life with, but it has not yet happened. And she belongs to Jesus.
God’s Mysterious Ways
Even the most scholarly theologians and Bible teachers cannot give us a reason as to why God sometimes intervenes to rescue His beloved from harm and sometimes does not. Our human minds can reason it to be unfair. We can believe we are unimportant to God. Knowing that we regularly sin, we can read His lack of movement in our situation to mean that we don’t warrant His rescue. We may surmise that we haven’t done enough good for Him to pay attention.
The truth is that God’s ways are mysterious. Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” Sometimes when we pray for a loved one to be healed from a serious illness, they die. Sometimes financial hardship isn’t lifted. A person longing for a spouse and/or a child remains single and childless. A dream is shattered. A mistake has long-term consequences. A relationship goes unrestored. A prayer is answered, “No.”
Faith in God’s Silence
It is a test of our faith to believe in the goodness of God when no relief comes to the weariness and heartaches of life. Will we believe that God is who He says He is and we are who He says we are when He is silent and unmoving?
It may seem easier and more logical to give up on God and stay aloof, protecting our hearts from the disappointment we feel at the lack of change. But as Peter said to Jesus in John 6:68, ““Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” We have no other reasonable place to go except to the One who has the words of eternal life.
After in futility I explain to God that I might have a better plan than His, I find that all I can do in God’s silence is to humble my heart before Him. I can’t control Him. I can’t demand change. I can, however, pour my anxiety out to Him and ask Him to care for me and my overseas friend. He told us that we would have trouble in this world (John 16:33). But He also told us that we have His peace, knowing that He has overcome the world. As I release my plan and submit to God’s, He meets me there with His comfort and peace. He is a Good Shepherd of my soul.
I Peter 5:7 “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Questions to Ponder: When have you experienced God’s silence? Where do you turn when God feels far away?