When There is Only Silence
I almost didn’t get this blog post written.
I don’t usually struggle with writing. Normally, it follows a fairly predictable pattern. In between posts, I jot down thoughts and ideas and then I pray about them in the days before I sit down to write. Frequently, the Lord will use a certain event or situation to illustrate a certain point. I will start writing about it and then the blog progresses from there.
Most of the time, the blog doesn’t go in the direction that I originally intended. I’ll have an idea of what the Lord wants me to communicate but when I start typing, He brings to mind Bible verses and points that I need to talk about and it becomes an entirely new message. It’s really kind of fun to see final results!
This time, however, I had no thoughts, ideas, or inspiration for the last several weeks. I’ve been praying and thinking about this post for some time and…NOTHING. As the time to sit down and write drew near, I started to panic.
Where was the inspiration? Why was I not hearing from the Lord on this?
I tried desperately to come up with ideas on my own, but they went nowhere. I have several partially written blog posts that fizzled out after the first couple of paragraphs. There is one that went on for a whole page, but it was so wooden and forced that I knew it was not at all what I was supposed to write.
My goal was to have this post written yesterday. It didn’t happen. Now a day later, I spent much time in prayer, worship, listening to sermons, and Bible study. It was all edifying and encouraging, but I still did not have a direction for this blog post.
I asked my husband to pray for the Lord to provide insight on why I am having problems. He felt like the Lord was saying that the message was there, I just need to be patient.
That didn’t seem very helpful to me. Patience when I am anxious for a solution is not always my strong point.
However, I trusted that this was a good word so I decided to stop actively worrying about it.
After a time, the Lord showed me a few things…
His timing is not our timing. We may think our problems need an immediate solution, but God knows exactly what the situation needs. We need to trust that He is fully in control and has a good and perfect plan. We just need to wait for it!
PSALM 27:14
Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
We need to examine ourselves and make sure that we are not the problem! Ask Him to show you if you have any sin in your life that you need to deal with!
PSALM 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
We may be doing all the “right” things (prayer, worship, reading His Word), but we cannot rush God or force His Hand. It is truly enough that He is our sovereign God!
ROMANS 11:33-35
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His
judgments and His ways past finding out!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become His counselor?”
“Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”
Do not try to fix it on your own! We can only look at the numerous stories in the Bible when people tried to do something in their own strength. It never turns out well!!
Finally, ask the Lord what He wants to show you while you wait. It may be that the Lord is growing something in you, like patience or perseverance.
PHILIPPIANS 1:6
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day
of Jesus Christ;
I encourage you to keep pursuing God even when He doesn’t respond to you WHEN or HOW you want Him to. Let us be steadfast in our walk with Him!
Walk faithfully, my friends!
My Roller Coaster Life 