A Temporal Silence
THROUGHOUT the Scriptures, at various times and with no discernible pattern, men experience God’s silence. It will take an eternity to comprehend why God does or does not do a thing. History and life have taught us to ask the better question in respect to this situation, which is what. What is happening in the Heavenly; what aspect of myself is God pruning from me in this moment; what is this silence trying to teach me about God? Such sobering and progressive thoughts are hard to consider amidst this suffocating silence. The majority of our lives we have tasted and seen the God who reveals Himself through words. Yet, God’s absentee ways continue to be esoteric to our experience and unlearned in our theology. When our circumstances demands that He leads us as He did the Israelites, to our surprise and to the Devil’s joy, He hides Himself. This experience isn’t new to humanity. We should never, pridefully, assume our struggles are unique. Beware of the lies despair can tell. When Adam was tempted in the Garden by our great enemy—silence. When Abram trekked and prepared his only begotten son as a sacrifice—silence. When Jesus prayed for another way, with a fervor and anguish known only to birthing mothers—silence. The God who speaks, it feels, has gone into hibernation.
God’s absentee ways continue to be esoteric to our experience and unlearned in our theology.
What is the solution to this silence? How do we begin to search for the God who is invisible? Or do we complain and pout like an irritated toddler? Or do we trust because love is patient and it always hopes? This definition of love Paul teaches us should not be confined to human relationships. I believe, we should also love our God this way as well. When this formula is used in the precariousness of God’s silence, then like the martial artist, we can use the emotional momentum for our benefit. With such a love, we can tell the mountain move and it will obey before we finish our sentence. E.K. Bailey, once taught, “When we can’t trace His hand, we must trust His heart.” Love aids us in this area because, the roots of love are patience and understanding. In our solitary aloneness we start to think with clarity, as we consider past miracles we’ve experienced. Those thoughts carry us to a remembrance of His goodness and faithfulness.
When we can’t trace His hand, we must trust His heart.
Then those thoughts carry us to precious verses like Romans 8, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Then, like the blooming of flowers in season, we sing like the slaves in the Summer’s heat. We rejoice because we know with sureness and confidence and faith that although we feel alone, we know His indomitable presence surrounds us like the walls of Jericho.
“All night I lay across my bed—
No rest—no sleep;
Nought but the utter agony
of despair.
I cried to God—
The answer: Bald, awful silence.
Along the walk outside my window
A group of men—
Students in a Southern school— return
From breakfast.
Suddenly, as if in answer to my all night cry,
They wooed the silence into song:
I’m so glad trouble don’t las’ always,
O my Lord, O my Lord, what shall I do?”
