From April 4, 2020...
Are you wondering where God is in all of this Coronavirus crisis?
Read Psalm 29 (It’s short, only 11 verses).
1 Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, Give unto the LORD glory and strength.
2 Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD is over many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, Yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth, And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”
10 The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, And the LORD sits as King forever.
11 The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.
Have you had silent times from God? I have.
There are times when God seemingly cannot be found.
Imagine Job when he said, “I cry to you for help and you do ...not answer me; I stand, and you only look at me.” (Job 30:20).
Just a few chapters earlier than Psalm 29, Psalm 22 shows David crying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.”
You probably know this, but isn't it interesting that Jesus also had times of “silences from God,” even though He was God in the flesh.
Certainly when John the Baptist was beheaded, Jesus felt the thunderous silence of God.
When he was alone in the desert and being tempted of the devil, there is no evidence that God was speaking.
When He was on the cross, we even read that He quoted Psalm 22, questioning why God would have forsaken Him.
Yet, there were also times when He also heard the Voice of the Lord, a literal voice, while others heard only thunder.
At His baptism, as well as on the mount of transfiguration. Even when the Greeks came to Him, the voice of the Lord thundered.
There also were times when He heard His Father's voice but not with physical ears, but the ears of the Spirit. We too must listen for the voice of the Lord but also for the silence of the Lord.
Both His voice and His silence can be ear-shattering, spiritually speaking.
Both the silence of the Lord and the voice of the Lord are needed for our spiritual growth. Both should be expected.
And both should be welcomed.
Is God near? Listen for His voice.
Does seem distant? He promises that He is not (Read Psalm 37:28 and Heb. 13:5).
His silences quiet us so we can then hear The Voice of the Lord.
