Hope in the Silence

 October 3, 2024

Thursday

If you have been a Christian who has served the Lord long enough, you will experience a time when it seems like God is not listening to your prayers. You see, if you are serving Him, prayer is a part of your life. You may pray daily. And daily you will know His presence and His answers. So, when the time comes that He doesn't answer you will wonder what is wrong. You may ask yourself, "Did I do something wrong? Is there something I should be doing?" You can't think of anything. But you still think something is wrong.

Because you are serving the Lord, you are in contact with other Christians who are also serving the Lord. They may continue to tell stories of how the Lord is answering their prayers. You may ask, "Lord, am I not as good as them?" Still there is silence.

God's silence tests our faith even more than crises. During a crisis we get very close to the Lord. He may not remove the crisis but He is very present with us. These crises become very treasured times in our walk with the Lord. But silence makes us think that He is far away. He has never forgotten us. He has never stopped loving us.

This is where hope steps in. We hope that He answers us. We hope because we have faith in more than what God can do. We have faith in who He is. He wants us to learn that. He wants us to know Him. We must know Him more than calling Him "provider." He is also peace. He is love. He is righteousness. He hasn't changed who He is simply because He is silent.  And He is present even when we don't realize it fully.

So, our hope grows in the darkness of silence. 

Psalm 38:15 (ESV) ¹⁵ But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.