When Life Is Silent

After missing church for three weeks, I had been looking forward to going back yesterday.  I love my church and it is a highlight of my week to learn, to worship, to feed my soul, and to be challenged.  Yesterday was no exception.  Pastor Pete spoke on the topic of God being silent in our lives.  It was a great message and I encourage all of you to check it out at www.crosspoint.tv 

I wanted to talk about it today because it is something I am going through myself.  When I look back at my life thus far, I can see times where life was moving forward, goals were being accomplished, prayers were being answered, and I was taking in each moment and savoring its worth.  There have been other times where I felt very disconnected from others, unsure about the future, very challenged with life, and as if my prayers were just being tossed around in the wind.  I have to be honest and say that right now in my life I feel as though I am a mixture of all of this.  There are many great things going on in my life and I do believe that I know my life's purpose and the direction it should be going.  There are also areas in my life that I feel very frustrated and that no matter how much I pray, God is simply silent on any kind of an answer.  It is in those moments that it is very easy for me to struggle with thoughts of self-pity and frustration and desperately hoping for a change. 

As Pastor Pete spoke yesterday on this very topic, I was reminded that it is in the silence where our faith, our hope, and our trust is tested.  I do not believe that God causes bad things to happen in our lives, but I do believe that He allows certain things to happen so that He can work out the bigger picture in our journey.  It is very easy for me to confidently rely on God's plan for my life when things are great and I am thriving, but what about when there are struggles and frustrations that appear to have no answer?  Is God ignoring me?  Am I left alone to figure everything out?  The answer is no - His love and plan for us are the same whether things are good or when life seems to be silent. 

As someone who wants so much out of life, who always dreams big, and does not always possess the virtue of patience - it is sometimes hard for me to trust when life is silent.  There are certain things in my life that I want to improve now and for whatever reason, I need to wait a little longer.  I know that probably all of you have dealt with this at one time or another.  My encouragement to all of us is that we would continue to hope and believe that the One who is greater will continue to guide us even in times of silence.  One of my friends posted this on facebook a few days ago and I was reminded of it yesterday: 

If we really believe that God is sovereign, infinitely good and loves us beyond compare, then why do we worry and stress over delays in our plans. So today trust and know His ways are best.