GodReflection: Silent God—Seeking His Voice

He asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. John 19:9

I run into it again and again.

Around ever curve in the road I find that I am not too deep into my day before the road sign appears that reads TRUST.

On my better days I believe that God is in control and working toward the ultimate good of the new creation.

My human limitation to understand the Holy and my lack of capacity to grasp the daily confrontation of God and Satan results in the mystery of silence. God can’t explain to my pea-size self what I cannot understand. So the silence continues.

On the eve of Jesus crucifixion, as he was passed from mock trial to mock trial, he stands before Pilate who represents the Roman government. He asks Jesus, “Where do you come from?”

Given all of his circumstances, it was impossible for Pilate to understand the real answer to his own question. The Holy keeps silent.

When I pray and hear only God’s silence, I want to trust that God who loves me heard my request but there is no possible way for me to understand all of the ramification of His answer. So, in faith I hear trusting silence.

It was at the university when I first heard the name of the old German preacher and teacher, Helmut Thielicke. Not until recent times have I made the effort to begin to read some of his sermons from 1942 through 1951.

In his book of sermons on The Silence of God, a rather lengthy passage caught my attention that merits more than a light reading:

So it often is when God does not answer our prayers. Behind the silence are His higher thoughts. He is fitting stone to stone in His plan for the world and our lives, even though we can see only a confused and meaningless jumble of stones heaped together under a silent heaven.

How many meaningless blows of fate there seem to be! — life, suffering, injustice, death, massacres, destruction; and all under a silent heaven which apparently has nothing to say.

The cross was God’s greatest silence. Then the power of darkness was allowed to make its final bid against the Son of God. Then the demons were unleashed and the most dreadful passions since the fall of Adam were given free rein. And God had nothing to say.

There was simply the cry of the Dying asking of the silence why God had forsaken Him.

God was still silent even when dumb nature began to speak in an eloquent gesture and the sun withdrew its light. The stars cried out, and God was silent.

But now hear the great mystery of this silence. The very hour when God answered not a word or syllable was the hour of the greatest turning point when the veil of the Temple was rent and God’s heart was laid bare with all its wounds.

Even when He was silent, God suffered with us. In His silence He experienced the fellowship of death and the depths with us.

Even when we thought He did not care, or was dead, He knew all about us and behind the dark wings He did His work of love. We live in the power of this Golgotha night of silence. – Helmut Thielicke

Maybe when it comes to unanswered prayer I should give God a break and trust that in the mystery of His silence, He is still doing His work of love.

Stay tuned.

Dr. Gary J. Sorrells

A GodReflection on The Mystery of Silence

 

Gary@Godreflection.org     www.GodReflection.org

www.MakeYourVisionGoViral.com