Silence! It can sometimes be deafening.
Normally, I enjoy the quiet. I enjoy freedom from the noise of radio, TV, traffic, and everyday sounds that seem to bombard us. It allows me to enjoy the sounds of nature as I sit in our backyard. It allows me to think and meditate on the things of life that are important to me. It’s calming and revitalizes me.
But silence? That is quite different from quietness. Silence from an angry spouse or friend, silence from a sulking child or silence from an uncaring co-worker can leave us feeling emotionally drained, unloved, stressed, fatigued. But the worse silence for me is silence from God.
I recently experienced a major disappointment in my life, resulting from the actions of someone I love dearly. It shook my little world as I was again reminded that we are all human and there will be times when people disappoint me and let me down. As God’s daughter, I knew I could run to Him and seek His comfort and be reassured by His love. I sought solace as I sat in our backyard, my favorite place for my quiet time. But, I didn’t receive the reassurance I was looking for in our time together. I heard silence.
Weeks passed. Oh, I did the right things. I read my Bible, I sat before God in readiness to hear from Him. But God’s Word seemed empty and my prayers seemed to bounce back to me from the ceiling, mocking me for the repetition of my prayers. And soon, God and I didn’t even seem to be on speaking terms.
As the weeks passed, I continued to sit before Him, hearing silence. I knew He was faithful in meeting me and I never doubted His faithfulness in walking with me. But the silence was deafening. I took comfort in knowing the Psalmist experienced silence from God, as well as others in the scriptures. I shared with two friends and received their prayers. I sat under the teaching of my pastor each Sunday and waited.
And then it happened. Sunday morning, God broke His silence and spoke to my weary heart. The sermon was ‘just for me’, although many others responded to the altar call followed by the message ‘just for them’. God spoke through His Word, though Pastor Randy, and embraced my heart. His faithfulness brought me peace, joy, comfort and hope. He assured me He was at work in my painful situation, even in His silence. Is the disappointment and hurt I experienced several weeks ago still there. Yes! But so is God’s faithfulness. And that is the point of this article. God’s faithfulness!
I love Lamentations 3: 22-24. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.’”
The psalmist speaks his heart in Psalm 40:10: “I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.” Today, you are my assembly and I am happy to boast in God’s faithfulness. Oh, the great faithfulness of God. May it encourage your heart today.
Kay Baker