The Silent Years...
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Psalm 62:5-6 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
Something truly fascinates me about God's Word. Well, lots of things fascinate me, but one thing in particular gets me pondering the mysterious ways of our God.
There was a period of silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament. 400 years of silence to be approximate.
400 years.
That is a very, very, very, long time. And I will throw in one last "very".
That's my lifetime, my children's lifetime, their children's life time, and then their children's life time, plus some more years.
Why was God silent during these years?
What were His people thinking?
Surely they were desperate.
Desperate is surely the understatement of the century.
However, if we study history during this time, God was certainly at work preparing for the arrival of His Son, Jesus. He may have been silent, but He certainly was busy working.
Wars were being fought. Kingdoms were established and abolished.
There was a lot of preparation going on behind the scenes to set the perfect landscape for Jesus' arrival.
The Greek language spread to many parts, which enabled the people to be bilingual. This made it easier to understand each other. [Easier to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus]
The Hebrew Old Testament was also translated into another language, Greek, for the very first time. [This would make it easier for people to understand and bridge Jesus to the Old Testament prophecies]
The Romans brought roads and highways modernizing the area for faster travel and relations. [Sure came in handy on missionary journeys and spreading the Gospel]
With this new Grecian invasion came a culture influence. Many idols and gods were introduced. People were smothered and covered in idol worship and foreign gods.
Can you imagine?
Surely, the people were confused and obviously without Truth.
When we live too long in the darkness, our souls crave Light. The Light of the Father.
Whether they fully realized it or not, a deep and insatiable hunger was happening inside of their souls.
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” [Matthew 4:4]
Which created the perfect storm for Jesus to arrive on the scene.
I don't like silence. At all.
I crave noise and people.
Loneliness creeps in if my house is quiet or if I go more than 2 hours without conversation or face to face connection.
But, God uses silence as a source of preparation.
I have had seasons of silence. Deafening silence from the Lord.
He was always there.
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18
Yet, it was hard for me to see Him.
Little did I know that the silent times are the times in our lives when God is actively preparing for the next scene.
We want to scream and shout and jump ahead of this time of silence. But, all the shouting in the world won't change His plans or His ways.
How could we possibly understand the Goodness of our God? How could we possibly understand that He is knitting together every detail for the overwhelming gifts He has prepared for us?
Why is it so hard to "be still and know that He is God" in times of waiting and silence? [Psalm 46:10]
There are certain prayers we pray, have prayed and still pray, that seem to be received in silence. Oh gosh, I know this one well.
There are certain events that take place in our lives that lead us to question Him and His ways, and yet, we are faced with His silence.
We cling to His Promises and we quote His Word over and over, yet, there are times, when we are faced with silence.
This can leave us frustrated and tired.
Oh so tired.
But, if we know the character of God....
We know that He is Good.
The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.[Psalm 145:9]
We know that He may be silent at times, but He is ALWAYS working on our behalf. Equipping, preparing.....
His Glory cannot be silenced.
"The Heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of His Hands."[Psalm 19:21]
Are you in a season of silence? Maybe the silence has been long and painful.
Maybe you want to forge ahead and get ahead of His plan.
Maybe you want to give up and turn your back on Him.
I urge you....
From the depths of the deepest silent valley...
Be still.
And know that He is God.
Trust Him.
Believe Him.
Even when you don't see a shred of evidence....
Surely the Jewish people had given up on their Messiah coming to rescue them....
But, the day finally came.
And, oh what a day it was.
"when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son..." Galatians 4:4
There will be a fullness of time for you.
You can lay your sweet head on that Promise.
My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? John 14:2
embracing the silence,
jill
