Over the last week I have read 2 blogs and one email that all address a similar problem—what are we to do when our heart is focused upon God but He remains silent. I’m confident that all who have been Christians for a significant amount of time have experienced this, and sometimes Small Group Leaders and Bible Study teachers are compelled to give lessens that are not fresh, but come from the storehouse of our Christian walk. This should not be the norm, but it does happen.
- One blog spoke about an extended hospital stay where God appeared mostly distant (with the exception of when other believers prayed).
- Another blog spoke of a man who tried church but gave up when “nothing happened”
- The email I received referred to Malachi 3:3 where God is described as a refiner and purifier of silver. The tone of the message was that many times we just have to wait and let God do what He does until the process is complete.
An interesting aspect of that passage in Malachi is the historical setting. Malachi spoke after the return from the Babylonian captivity. The walls of protection had been rebuilt under Nehemiah, the Law had been restored to prominence under Ezra, and the Temple operations had been restored under Haggai and Zechariah. Everything seemed to be poised for blessing when Malachi reminded the people that God would purify and refine the people. What happens next? 400 years of silence. How frustrating to have done all the right things then experience silence from God! [Imagine all that has happened in American History since the founding of Jamestown in 1607, that is how long God was silent with regards to speaking Scripture through his prophets.]
Scripture is full of times when God’s people had to wait until God decided to act.
- 400 years between Joseph’s death and Moses’ birth
- 40 years Moses was in Midian until the Burning Bush
- 15-20 years between David’s anointing and becoming King
- John the Baptist was imprisoned long enough that he began to wonder if Jesus was who he thought He was.
- Disciples kept falling asleep while Jesus prayed in the Garden before his crucifixion (nothing happening?)
- Eutychus fell asleep during a LONG service and fell out a window (Acts 20). Eutychus wasn’t hearing from God while he slept that soundly!
If you are going through a drought of the soul, now is the time to demonstrate faith (Heb 11:1). Faith, by definition, involves hope and things that are not seen/apparent!
As we approach the Easter season, remember that the GLORY of the Resurrection only happened after days of SILENCE. Don’t give up hope while waiting in the desert!
I think when one is going through what seems to be a time of silence from God it is VERY good to examine first where our heart is.
ReplyDeletePerhaps there is a time of silence because God is trying to get our attention? Perhaps He is desiring to bring some big changes in our thoughts or way of doing things in our ministry that we are not as ready to embrace as we will be at the end of the time of thirsting for Him?
The longest period of time I went through a very "dry" spell with God is during my pregnancy - that was much worse than anything I had anticipated and ended in pre-term labor and delivery.
I came out of that realizing that my roots were not anywhere as deep as they needed to be in God and His love. I would have never seen that had I not gone through that horrible time.
Psalm 42 is a great place to spend time when you are going through a time of God's silence. Also Psalm 63. Verse 6 of that particular Psalm exhorts us to consciously and continuously refresh our memory about the past goodness of God and His past faithfulness to us knowing that He is still and will continue to be these things to us.
Silence in our relationship is a time of stretching our faith.....do we really believe what we say we believe about God, or only when things are going well?
I am not sure about relying upon the storehouses of past christian experience to feed others with is altogether good as a leader....perhaps it is time for someone in the group to "lead" for a while or to give from their own "fresh manna". Perhaps it is a time of empowering someone else?
Some additional thoughts.....perhaps the time of silence is our own doing?
ReplyDeleteIf we are continuously walking in known sin that we are refusing to repent of - God will remove the sense of His presence from us in order to get our attention.
Perhaps we have brought ourselves to the desert by overwork or "doing ministry" in a way that is outside God's will or leading for the season we are in?
Perhaps we have set up idols in our heart?
After time before the Lord in self-examination (Psalm 26:2)nothing is brought to the surface that needs repenting from....I guess one can look at the time in the desert as a preparitory or transitional time.
Jesus was sent to the desert for 40 days before He began His public ministry. It was a time of testing and proving His faith and preparing for ministry to others.
We should all remember that God answers prayer in many ways, but he also speaks to us through His Word. Many times we are seeking an answer and we should be seeking God. If we truely seek His will, we will already be in His will and blessing.
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