The Silence of God

 There are times when God speaks as loud as thunder. There are times when He speaks in a still small voice. There are other times when He is silent. It is these silent periods that trouble us so much. Let me say this up front and emphatically. Never interpret the silence of God for His absence. 

For over 400 years the Israelites endured Egyptian slavery. One generation after another cried out for God to deliver them. God was silent. He did not explain what He was doing. He did not offer words of comfort and hope that are recorded in scripture. There was the promise given to Abraham in [Gen 15:1-6]. The promise that his descendants, which would become the nation of Israel, would be more numerous than the stars. 

400 years is a long time to wait. It is a long time to cry out to God for help and yet the help did not come. It is very long time to ask God what He was doing and why the continued delay and prolonged bondage. God did not answer. He remained silent. That does not mean that He was not working. 

Read [Ex 1:1-7]. Especially focus on verse seven. When Jacob's descendants came to Egypt under Joseph's protection there were 70 people in all. Look at verse seven. They were fruitful. They multiplied. They increased greatly. They became mighty and the land was filled with them. So much so that it frightened the new Pharaoh because he could see them growing in numbers. 

God kept His promise, and they did not even recognize it. All they focused on was their misery from the bondage. They could not see that God was growing a nation. I wonder if we do the same thing. When God is silent, and circumstances are not what we wished they were, do we interpret that to mean that He does not care and is not working? I know I have certainly done that in the past. I still do it from time to time presently. 

For several days I have not received any fresh word from God in my devotions. I read His word, use a devotion book, and sit still before Him. He remains silent. I know from experience that He is still working when I do not hear Him. I don't know what He is doing. At times it is very confusing. I still believe He is working His purposes just like He did with Israel. 

Let me encourage you again not to interpret God's silence as His absence. He cares. He is working in ways we cannot see. Behind the scenes He is orchestrating circumstances to accomplish His will. We may have to wait a while for His will to come to fruition. In the meantime, I encourage all of us to quit focusing on His silence and what we do not see Him doing. Look closer right under our noses to see what He is doing. Sometimes His plans can be accomplished in a matter of moments like choosing the disciples. Other times His plans might take centuries to unfold. His silence does not mean He does not care, nor does it mean that He is not active. It really comes down to trust even in the silence.