1-10-2014

Good Morning to All,

    Psalm 28:1; “To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.”

    Ssssh!!  Be very, very quiet; I’m…. no we are not going to go there.  Sometimes the idea of silence can be a good thing.  Think in terms of a bunch of 7 and 8 year olds who have had their fill of Mountain Dew and Milk Duds; silence would truly be golden.  After a day in a crowded gym, silence can be appreciated.  Getting up early in the morning, as the sun is coming up, the silence can be peaceful and calming.  There are times when silence is a good thing; it is a desired thing.  Yet sometimes it is not.

    If you have ever had a loved one out driving in bad weather and you try to get hold of them but can’t, silence is not golden.  If you are waiting for a doctor’s report, silence is not what we want.  There are times when we have silence for a few days or weeks and we think we will go crazy waiting.

    But what happens when it seems that the silence goes on for years?  What happens when the silence for the couple that longs for a baby and prays over and over for a baby yet no infant arrives?  They watch their friends have children, their brothers and sisters have children and they have to smile and be excited and happy yet the silence from God seems so harsh.  Why doesn’t God answer their prayer?  They watch the news on TV and see another child that the parents decided they didn’t want or care about and they wonder at the silence.

    Or the person who is lonely and is looking for a mate; they pray for guidance and for the right person to enter their life but they remain alone.  Despite their prayers, the silence remains.  There is a similar pain when a loved one dies; we cry to God but we hear silence and the pain remains.  “We become like those who go to the pit.”  It seems as though God is silent and our pain too great.

    We need to remember that silence does not mean inaction.  God is still active in our lives.  He still sends his Spirit into our lives and into our hearts to give us hope.  He still uses the people around us to give us the consolation that we need.  He continues to pour his grace upon us and give us the forgiveness of sins that we so desperately need and the hope of salvation that sustains us.  We may never hear the answer that we want to hear but that doesn’t mean that the silence is rejection.  It does not mean that God does not hear or care.  It does not mean that he is not acting for us as a loving and gracious Father; it only means that we may not hear him, especially if we have something specific that we want to hear.

    So even in the depths of our pain, as we cry out God hears us and he acts for us.  The silence is not rejection nor is He turning away from us.  His love for us knows no bounds.

Father of all mercies, even when it seems that you are silent you are there for us.  Even if we don’t hear you, we know that you are there acting for us and lifting us up.  Guard us by your grace.  Be with those who are feeling that you have been silent too long.  Give them the comfort of your Spirit and bring us to give them the consolation that they need.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret