Easter Week Devotion #6 – A Silent Love

Scripture: “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.” – Psalm 50:3

Examination: This psalm by Asaph extols the majesty of God and His judgment upon the righteous and the wicked.

Application: Jesus was dead and buried. All hope for salvation from Roman rule had died along with Him. Fear was overwhelming as the followers of Jesus fled and hid, believing that they might be next on the Roman hit list. No doubt, prayers were desperately whispered, but God was not answering… or so it seemed.

There are many times when it appears as though God has turned a deaf ear to our prayers. Our burdens seem unbearable; our pleas so earnest, but we are greeted with only silence from heaven. Why doesn’t God answer?

Throughout the Scriptures, there are times when God is silent, and in that silence, He seems to be very distant. In Psalm 28:1, David cries out saying, Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.” Elijah also experienced a time when he felt deserted by God, but the Lord was with him and finally spoke to him in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12-13).  Job suffered for a very long time without the Lord speaking to him. When God finally did, it was from within a whirlwind (Job 38). There is also a period of 400 years where God was silent in His dealings with the nation of Israel. This is the time marked by the gap in the writings of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

We also experience challenging times in our lives when God seems to be silent. We pray and pray, but hear nothing from heaven. Has God abandoned us? Absolutely not!

There are several reasons for these times when it seems God is silent.

1. Learning to Trust God – God always does what is best. He will respond in His time.

• “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” – Micah 7:7

2. Becoming Prepared – Delay doesn’t mean denial; it can be a period of preparation.

• “LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:” – Psalm 10:17

3. Unrepentant Sin – Unconfessed sin creates a communication barrier between us and God.

• “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” – Psalm 66:18

4. Strengthening Faith – Waiting on God focuses and strengthens our faith.

• “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” – Psalm 27:14

5. God’s Sovereignty – God is not at our beck and call. He does His will when He wants.

• “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” – Isaiah 46:10

Because God has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), we can have the complete assurance that silence does not mean abandonment. There is a reason God is waiting to answer our prayers. First, examine yourself. Is there sin that is being harbored? If so, repent and seek His forgiveness. If not, remind yourself that God has a purpose for His apparent silence.

Remember, the followers of Jesus were heartbroken, and the silence of God confused them, but three days after His death, understanding came! Matthew 28:8 records the reaction of those who first realized what had happened, “And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.”

Take heart, for in those times of silence… God is working! Psalm 30:5 reassures us, “…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

Memory Verse: “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” – Lamentations 3:26

Stretching your thoughts:

1. When was a time in your life when God seemed to be silent?

2. How did you deal with your doubts and fears at that time?

3. What would you say to someone who was going through a period of time when God was silent?

There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God;
A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God.

(from “Near to the Heart of God” by Cleland Boyd McAfee)