Psalm 28:1-2
“To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if You remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your Most Holy Place.”
What happens when God is silent? Is He there? Is He angry with me? Have I done something wrong? It would always be easier to talk about what happens in the lives of other people, but I can only relate what is going on in my life. Some might call it transparency, but frankly, it makes me feel very vulnerable. Over the past seven years I have shared my heart and life as I attempt to follow after the Lord.
I have had far more positive response to these E-Votionals than to anything I have ever done, yet there may be days when I hear nothing. In those periods, I begin to wonder, “Am I doing something wrong? Is the call still there? Should I stop for awhile? Then someone writes and I see that it is not my concern as to the results, but with my faithfulness.
You may be going through a period in your life, when it seems that you are hearing nothing from the Lord. You pray and ask for deliverance, but nothing seems to happen. Are you at that point?
My mind reflects back over Scripture and the many examples God gives of times of His silence. I will mention only two. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a multitude. In actuality, he was far too old to father a son. It was years after the promise, and years beyond the “normal” time of producing off-spring, before the child of promise, Isaac, was born. God desired for Abraham to be silent and trust, rather than see the deliverance immediately. STAND FAST, DEAR HEART! GOD IS THERE IN THE SILENCE!
Joseph was another example of enduring long periods of silence. Not only did he experience the betrayal of his brothers, it seemed as if God had forgotten him. He steadfastly rejected the open demands of Potiphar’s wife to lie with her, stating that it was a sin against his God to do such a thing. Yet for his steadfast trust in God, he was thrown into prison on her false charge against him. Now on the surface, that may seem as if God had forgotten him.
Years later, he was forgotten by Pharaoh’s servant, who had promised to speak to Pharaoh about his innocence. Where was God while this upstanding young man languished in prison? He was there, but the time was not right. God’s timing was absolutely perfect! Just think of the impossible circumstance of Joseph moving from prison to Prime Minister, in just one day.
God might have been silent over the years of Joseph’s ordeal, but God was in control of the situation. Joseph became God’s chosen vessel to save not only Egypt, but also his family. Years later, after he had revealed himself to those brothers who had sold him into slavery, he could say with confidence and victory; “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen. 50:20).
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil