There are times when God seems completely silent. We feel abandoned. Our prayers go
unanswered. Confusion and indecision encompasses
us. Doubt and despair fills us. We
scream, “Speak Lord!” and there is still silence. We feel so far from God that our very faith
seems foolish.
We must learn to accept silence at times. In a word of noise, that is difficult to do,
but sometimes God works in silence.
Sometimes silence is God’s verdict, and we refuse to accept that the
answer is simply no.
When Jesus trembled with fear in the garden of Gethsemane,
he knew that his life was coming to the end.
He was depressed and frightened. The
realization that he was going to be tortured and killed filled him with
dread. Jesus asked God to change his
fate. God was silent. Jesus asked again
to be delivered from mortal torment. Face to the ground, prostrate before the
throne of God, eyes filled with tears, sweat drenching his body, Jesus asked
that his bitter cup be taken away. God
again did not answer. Jesus prayed
thrice and thrice the result was the same.
God did not answer because God’s decision was final. Jesus was to be the great sacrifice. Crucifixion was a certainty. There was no way
around this. Jesus did not curse the
Father, but Jesus accepted his fate and said he would obey God’s will not his
own. (See Matt. 26:36-46)
When God does not answer, it does not mean that God does
not hear. Sometimes God’s will is not
our own. When this occurs, we must accept
the will of God and let the cards fall where they may. This is hard to swallow for many, but life is
not all about what we want. We have to
realize that the will of God, the greater good, consequences for our actions,
and life choices can outweigh what we think we may deserve. Therefore, we must
remember to keep the faith when we can clearly hear the voice of God and also keep
the faith when we think our prayers are falling on deaf ears.
God is always with us and always will be. Learn to let
God’s will be done because “we
know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)
May the peace of the Christ, the comfort of the Holy
Spirit, and the grace of God always rest upon you. Be blessed and remember to
love hard and live free!
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