When God seems silent, can it signify a time of spiritual testing, personal growth on our part, or the need to tune out distractions to hear Him?
When God seems silent, it is then that believers should
persist in earnest prayer. Silence is a test of faith rather than a sign of
God's permanent absence.
At the parting of the Red Sea, this was a powerful reminder of God's endless power. When there seems to be no way, God became a Way-Maker. So it is today. He says to all, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26 NIV
Between the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, and the
New Testament, there
was a long gap of approximately 400 years of prophetic silence preceding the
birth of Jesus. The authors of the New Testament, as well as several other
individuals mentioned in the New Testament, had the gift of prophecy (Luke
1:67; Matt. 11:13, 14; Acts 13:1; 15:32; 21:8-10). Paul wrote to the Ephesians
that the gift of prophecy would remain in the church “till we all come to the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Eph. 4:13).
When the Apostle John was banished to the Isle of Patmos, God placed His disciple in a position where he could receive the most precious truth for the enlightenment of the churches.
Revelation chapter one says that Christ showed up in person to him at a time of deep silence. While everything was going right with John, in solitude, his ear and his heart were sanctified to receive truth. John was put in a pot of boiling oil to be killed. Yet, God allowed this persecution of him by his enemies to become a means of grace.
Now Satan speaks through the people and says, "banish him away from us." To keep him from the people, he was taken to the island of Patmos in the Mediterranean Sea.
It is here, in silence on the Lord's Day, that his transformation of character takes place as the result of communion with Christ.
In life, there may be marked defects in the character of an
individual, yet when he becomes a true disciple of God, the power of His divine
grace transforms and sanctifies him in the time of silence.
It is at these times that the children of God are given the privilege to behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord. It is during these times that they are changed from glory to glory, until they are like Him whom they adore.
Patmos was made resplendent by the glory of a risen Saviour.... What a day of rest this was to the lonely exile! Never had he learned so much of Jesus. Never had he heard such exalted truth in receiving the revelation of the Book of Revelation.
We do not talk about it much, but John was a workaholic for the Lord. As a worker for God, like many of us, he often regarded the activities of life as essential to the advancement of the work. This is the same spirit of the children of God today.
Self is mingled with all that is said and done... The worker looks upon themselves at times as a necessity. This is the time they need rest, to rest in the Lord!
Yet, God says, “This poor soul has lost sight of Me and My sufficiency. I must cast My light and My vitalizing power into his heart. I must prepare him to receive truth by anointing him with the heavenly eyesalve. He sees too many things. His eye is not fastened on Me...”
"Sometimes the Lord makes His path to the soul by a
process painful to humanity, even silence. He is compelled to fortify the soul
against self-esteem and self-dependence, so that the worker shall not regard
the failings and infirmities of his unsanctified nature as virtues, and thus be
ruined by self-exaltation. Even when we are seeking to fulfill our highest
expectations through a job, a house, a spouse, children, or money,
whatever it may be, sometimes God has to step in with silence before He answers
our request.
“If those who claim to believe the grand truths for this time would prepare themselves by searching the Scriptures, by earnest prayer, and by the exercise of faith, they would place themselves where they would receive the light they so much crave...”
The eloquence of silence before God is often essential to bring us, at times, to a place of complete commitment and trust in God. On the other hand, “If the mind is kept in continual excitement, the ear is prevented from hearing the truth that the Lord would communicate to His believing ones."
As it was in the past, so it is today. God still takes His children from that which holds their attention through the path of silence, that they may behold His glory.
"There are those who profess holiness, who declare that they are wholly the Lord’s, who claim a right to the promises of God, while refusing to render obedience to His commandments. These transgressors of the law claim everything that is promised to the children of God; but this is presumption on their part, for John tells us that true love for God will be revealed in obedience to all His commandments. It is not enough to believe the theory of truth, to make a profession of faith in Christ, to believe that Jesus is no impostor, and that the religion of the Bible is no cunningly devised fable. “He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments,” John wrote, “is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.” “He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him.” 1 John 2:4, 5; 3:24.
"John did not teach that salvation was to be earned by obedience, but that obedience was the fruit of faith and love. “Ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins,” he said, “and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.” 1 John 3:5, 6. If we abide in Christ, if the love of God dwells in the heart, our feelings, our thoughts, our actions, will be in harmony with the will of God. The sanctified heart is in harmony with the precepts of God’s law."
"There are many who, though striving to obey God’s
commandments, have little peace or joy. This lack in their experience is the
result of a failure to exercise faith. They walk as it were in a salt land, a
parched wilderness. They claim little, when they might claim much; for there is
no limit to the promises of God. Such ones do not correctly represent the
sanctification that comes through obedience to the truth. The Lord would have
all His sons and daughters happy, peaceful, and obedient. Through the exercise
of faith, the believer comes into possession of these blessings. Through faith,
every deficiency of character may be supplied, every defilement cleansed, every
fault corrected, every excellence developed."
"As your soul yearns after God, you will find more and
still more of the unsearchable riches of His grace. As you contemplate these
riches, you will come into possession of them and will reveal the merits of the
Saviour’s sacrifice, the protection of His righteousness, the fullness of His
wisdom, and His power to present you before the Father “without spot, and
blameless.” 2 Peter 3:14.
"In the experience of the Apostle John under persecution, there is a lesson of wonderful strength and comfort for the Christian. God does not prevent the plottings of wicked men, but He causes their devices to work for good to those who, in trial and conflict, maintain their faith and loyalty. Often, the gospel laborer carries on his work amid storms of persecution, bitter opposition, and unjust reproach. At such times, let him remember that the experience to be gained in the furnace of trial and affliction is worth all the pain it costs. Thus God brings His children near to Him, that He may show them their weakness and His strength. He teaches them to lean on Him. Thus, He prepares them to meet emergencies, to fill positions of trust, and to accomplish the great purpose for which their powers were given them.
In all ages, God’s appointed witnesses have exposed themselves to reproach and persecution for the truth’s sake. Joseph was maligned and persecuted because he preserved his virtue and integrity. David, the chosen messenger of God, was hunted like a beast of prey by his enemies. Daniel was cast into a den of lions because he was true to his allegiance to heaven. Job was deprived of his worldly possessions and so afflicted in body that he was abhorred by his relatives and friends; yet he maintained his integrity. Jeremiah could not be deterred from speaking the words that God had given him to speak; and his testimony so enraged the king and princes that he was cast into a loathsome pit. Stephen was stoned because he preached Christ and Him crucified. Paul was imprisoned, beaten with rods, stoned, and finally put to death because he was a faithful messenger for God to the Gentiles. And John was banished to the Isle of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
These examples of human steadfastness bear witness to the
faithfulness of God’s promises—of His abiding presence and sustaining grace.
They testify to the power of faith to withstand the powers of the world. It is
the work of faith to rest in God in the darkest hour, to feel, however sorely
tried and tempest-tossed, that our Father is at the helm. The eye of faith
alone can look beyond the things of time to estimate aright the worth of the
eternal riches.
Jesus does not present to His followers the hope of attaining earthly glory and riches, of living a life free from trial. Instead, He calls upon them to follow Him in the path of self-denial and reproach. He who came to redeem the world was opposed by the united forces of evil. In an unpitying confederacy, evil men and evil angels arrayed themselves against the Prince of Peace. His every word and act revealed divine compassion, and His unlikeness to the world provoked the bitterest hostility.
So it will be with all who will live godly in Christ Jesus. Persecution and reproach await all who are imbued with the Spirit of Christ. The character of the persecution changes with the times, but the principle—the spirit that underlies it—is the same that has slain the chosen of the Lord ever since the days of Abel.
In all ages, Satan has persecuted the people of God. He has tortured them and put them to death, but in dying, they became conquerors. They bore witness to the power of One mightier than Satan. Wicked men may torture and kill the body, but they cannot touch the life that is hid with Christ in God. They can incarcerate men and women in prison walls, but they cannot bind the spirit.
Through trial and persecution, the glory—the character—of God is revealed in His chosen ones. The believers in Christ, hated and persecuted by the world, are educated and disciplined in the school of Christ. On earth, they walk in narrow paths; they are purified in the furnace of affliction. They follow Christ through sore conflicts; they endure self-denial and experience bitter disappointments, but thus they learn the guilt and woe of sin, and they look upon it with abhorrence. Being partakers of Christ’s sufferings, they can look beyond the gloom to the glory, saying, “I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18.
In closing, let us look at four reasons why God allows His children to experience silence.
1. God's silence is not abandonment but an invitation to be still and know He is God, allowing for spiritual growth and preparation to hear His voice more distinctly amidst the world's distractions.
2. The silence of the heart makes the voice of God more distinct, helping people to gain a knowledge of His will.
3. When the voices of the world are hushed and one waits in quietness, God's voice becomes more distinct.
4. In times of silence, it is helpful to remember previous close experiences with God to strengthen your faith during your trial of waiting. May God bless you in your silence with Him today.
By GARDEN MINISTRY
