Trust Amid Silence

Trust Amid the Silence
"He answered her not a word" (Matt. 15:23).

"He will be silent in his love" (Zeph. 3:17).

It may be a child of God is reading these words who has had some great crushing sorrow, some bitter disappointment, some heart-breaking blow from a totally unexpected quarter. You are longing for your Master's voice bidding you "Be of good cheer," but only silence and a sense of mystery and misery meet you --"He answered her not a word."

God's tender heart must often ache listening to all the sad, complaining cries which arise from our weak, impatient hearts, because we do not see that for our own sakes He answers not at all or otherwise than seems best to our tear-blinded, short-sighted eyes.

The silences of Jesus are as eloquent as His speech and may be a sign, not of His disapproval, but of His approval and of a deep purpose of blessing for you.

"Why art thou cast down, O…soul?" Thou shalt yet praise Him, yes, even for His silence. Listen to an old and beautiful story of how one Christian dreamed that she saw three others at prayer. As they knelt the Master drew near to them.

As He approached the first of the three, He bent over her in tenderness and grace, with smiles full of radiant love and spoke to her in accents of purest, sweetest music.

Leaving her, He came to the next, but only placed His hand upon her bowed bead, and gave her one look of loving approval.

The third woman He passed almost abruptly without stopping for a word or glance. The woman in her dream said to herself, "How greatly He must love the first one, to the second He gave His approval, but none of the special demonstrations of love He gave the first; and the third must have grieved Him deeply, for He gave her no word at all and not even a passing look.

"I wonder what she has done, and why He made so much difference between them?" As she tried to account for the action of her Lord, He Himself stood by her and said: "O woman! how wrongly hast thou interpreted Me. The first kneeling woman needs all the weight of My tenderness and care to keep her feet in My narrow way. She needs My love, thought and help every moment of the day. Without it she would fail and fall.

"The second has stronger faith and deeper love, and I can trust her to trust Me however things may go and whatever people do.

"The third, whom I seemed not to notice, and even to neglect, has faith and love of the finest quality, and her I am training by quick and drastic processes for the highest and holiest service.

"She knows Me so intimately, and trusts Me so utterly, that she is independent of words or looks or any outward intimation of My approval. She is not dismayed nor discouraged by any circumstances through which I arrange that she shall pass; she trusts Me when sense and reason and every finer instinct of the natural heart would rebel;--because she knows that I am working in her for eternity, and that what I do, though she knows not the explanation now, she will understand hereafter.

"I am silent in My love because I love beyond the power of words to express, or of human hearts to understand, and also for your sakes that you may learn to love and trust Me in Spirit-taught, spontaneous response to My love, without the spur of anything outward to call it forth."

He "will do marvels" if you will learn the mystery of His silence, and praise Him, for every time He withdraws His gifts that you may better know and love the Giver.  --Selected

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Have you every given attention to the life of the new believer? Have you ever noticed how when that new convert falls to their knees before the Lord that His responses are almost instantaneous? I have marveled at that for years. There are a number of reasons for this, some, God has left as mysteries in this life, but there are a couple which are, to me, obvious.

The first reason that I believe there is such attentiveness given to the prayers of new converts is there faith. Their faith, though new and small, has not yet been corrupted by experience and external influence. They simply believe.

The second is closely related to the first. God understands that their faith has not grown enough to withstand delay. He understands that a prayer gone unanswered for these individuals may prompt them to believe that God is unresponsive and unconcerned about their issues. God responds to their prayers so expeditiously because they need Him to.

On the other hand, the seasoned believer that has had their faith cultivated through the long winds of adversity is dealt with based on the level of their faith and spiritual maturity. The believer that has developed an unwavering faith may at times experience silence when praying. It may, at first, seem as if God is aloof or indifferent to their needs, but God always hears and He always cares. The silence is not a sign of neglect or indifference; it is God's way of stretching your faith, centering your focus, and preparing you for advancement.

Don't be alarmed by the silence, it is not indicative of God's absence, but expressive of your growth. God deals with each believer individually, based on the level of our spiritual maturity and He knows exactly how to engage each of us to get the best out of us. The Bible tells us that God withdrew from Hezekiah to test him and to find out all that was in His heart (2 Chron. 32:31). Sometimes God meets your prayers with silence to measure our growth and determine our heart's motives.

It is easy to proclaim the praises of God when He is responsive to your prayers and immediately attentive to every need, but what happens when your prayers are met with silence and your needs are not attended to as you believe they should? Do you remain faithful? Does the praise continue? Do you continue to trust?

Dr. Rick Wallace

It is important to know that God is God whether it be in the abundance of His blessings or in the desert of silence and uncertainty. Though the answer is delayed, God is not distant. He is observing with care and attentiveness your response to His silence, and when He deems it best, He will show up. It is your responsibility to maintain your faith. Continue to trust Him, even when you hear nothing. Continue to believe when everything around you says you are standing alone. God is faithful, He will come through. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace

Don't forget to check out Dr. Wallace's book Elevation through Revelation.