When Silence is Golden

"After…forty days and nights…the tempter came to him and said…” Matthew 4:2-3

There are over 100 verses in the Bible about silence. Sometimes the author was the one who was silent before the Lord, but most times the verses were lamenting about God being silent. Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and Scripture states that after that time Satan approached Him with taunts, noises and temptations. So, we are to assume that the 40 days Jesus spent alone in the wilderness was time spent with God. The only voice that would have broken the silence would have been Jesus talking with God. I wonder what Jesus asked Him for? I wander what whisperings God shared into the ears of His Son? What beautiful words and fellowship they must have shared before Satan broke the silence. I am convinced that the success of Jesus against Satan was the time spent seeking God in silence and stillness. 

“Humility is impossible unless we quiet the chatter and the noise and sit with Jesus…Silence, in itself, is the most basic and intimate form of humility. We lay down everything and just stop…We recognize our spirals and naming them is the first step to interrupting them. That’s why the enemy wants to fill our lives and our heads and hearts with noise. Because silence with God is the beginning of every victory.” Get Out of Your Head, Jennie Allen, p. 62.

So, I ask myself these questions today… ‘Is God being silent on some of my concerns because I’m not being still and posturing myself to hear Him? Must I go out into a wilderness and neither eat nor drink just to hear His voice?’ I can sometimes picture myself approaching God in prayer like the little girl 50 years ago who was constantly wiggling in church, turning my head around to see the things behind me, or checking off the things on the church bulletin that had occurred. 

There has never been a truer statement than ‘Silence is golden’ when our silence is a result of our stillness. Silence ushers in praise, prayer and power. It teaches us the person of God and fills our lives with the benefits from God such as rest, comfort, wisdom and weapons against the noisy tempter. 

Silence IS golden when God is the one who is speaking. May we turn our ears to Jesus and embrace the silence and solitude.

A Good Work

“I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”Philippians 1:6

Each day when I walk, I change up my route a bit, but not my destination.  My destination is a bench on the side of a winding sidewalk within big beautiful trees.  It’s in the middle of an area surrounded by tennis courts, a big swimming pool and lots of activity from the residents of that community.  A few days ago, as I arrived at the winding sidewalk, I noticed a small structure up ahead to the left.  As I approached it, I determined that it was something built by the hands of a small architect with big dreams.  I could just see a small boy or girl carefully stacking this stick one way and another stick the other.  I looked inside and saw two rather large stones that were intentionally placed inside no doubt.  Every day since then, I’ve been intrigued to see that structure untouched…unchanged…unfinished.  I began wondering if the builder would ever come back?  Would he change anything or add another dimension to it?  Or, was this an abandoned project due to boredom, frustration, or impatience?  But then I wondered, what if this structure hadn’t been abandoned and was sitting in wait for the builder to return with the next great level.  What if the little builder had been riding his bike to a home being built to see what building item would be discarded?  I’ll bet the little structure wonders if his builder will be coming back?  

Sometimes I feel like that little structure…waiting and watching each day trying to figure out what God is up to.  Some days I can feel Him arranging things…stacking things up…intentionally placing things inside my heart.  But other days I don’t see Him hanging around…I don’t sense any expansion of my faith…I don’t hear His voice.  But this I know:  As I sit here as an unfinished project I have not been abandoned.  I know that as we awake daily to the same circumstances in our world, God is out there, changing things on our behalf.  We can know that just because we see the chaos of our world doesn’t mean God has lost control of our circumstances. 

No matter what you are experiencing during this season I want you to know that your Builder is coming back!  He has neither abandoned you nor forgotten about you.  He is collecting and arranging the next beautiful season of your life with purpose and peace.  

Consider the Star

“God hung the stars in the sky…We cannot understand the great things he does, and to his miracles there is no end…I can’t believe he would listen to me.” Job 9:9-10, 16

I know that my picture today seems a bit underwhelming but when all is considered regarding that little star it is quite overwhelming.  God not only created this little star but He placed it intentionally and precisely in a certain pocket of space.  He knows what surrounds that star and the perfect rotation and movement of every single thing in the atmosphere.  He concerns Himself with every element of creation and commands it’s movement.  He deeply cares and relentlessly loves everything that has flowed from His hands and heart.  As I gazed intently at the star this morning and considered the vast power of God only matched by His love, I remembered this:

Just as He hung that star in a certain place, He chose where we would do life.  Just as love motivated the creation of that star, His love breathed life into you and into me.  His eye is upon all of creation, and He has surrounded us with a galaxy of friends and family who rotate around the days of our lives.  The star doesn’t hang in the sky all alone but on some days I’m sure it seems like it.  

Who is reading this today that feels they are the only star around in a dark sky?  Who needs to understand that the God who created them is the God who protects and surrounds them?  Just as the clouds shroud the other stars, there are times when we cannot see what God is doing.  It doesn’t mean that He is not moving…that He is not creating miracles…that He is not rotating circumstances that must occur before the healing.  

Whatever you are experiencing during this season, consider the star that hangs in the sky and fully know how much more God loves you.  When it feels like nothing is moving in your circumstances you can know that God is orchestrating every detail in creating your victory.

Reaching For my Harp

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.  There on the poplars we hung our harps.”Psalm 137:2

This verse has always tugged at my heartstrings like few other verses.  This was written at a time following the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem.  They destroyed their surrounding city walls, burned their beautiful buildings, killed a large amount of its residents and kidnapped some of the strongest survivors.  I’ve always wondered if these survivors felt lucky to have lived.  No doubt, whole families were shattered by these circumstances.  I can just picture the writer of this Psalm sitting next to the water one morning reflecting on everything lost…the new normal as we would say.  I can imagine memories of family gatherings and walking into their temple to worship God dominated the mind and heart.  There was nothing to sing about, no joy that prompted the fingers to pull back on the harp strings…silence instead of joyful music.  What a sad reminder as the writer’s eyes glanced over to the quiet harp hanging on the tree.

This past weekend Bruce and I spent some precious time with two of our best friends at their lake home.  It was a great time, and for a moment, thoughts of viruses, riots, national division and a landscape of anger, fear and hatred dissipated against a weekend of fun.  Yesterday morning as I sat by the water reflecting on everything our circumstances hold, I too longed for large family gatherings.  I was saddened to consider how long it may before I walked into those church doors again and stood shoulder to shoulder with my brothers and sisters in Christ?  I felt a tear or two escape even as I watched the beautiful sunrise in a place where I felt loved, secure and celebrated in friendship.  And then I remembered this… I was not alone…I was not forgotten.  Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need.  He brought me beside those still waters this weekend, and indeed restored my soul in the midst of our all chaos.  He reminded me that no matter what I face, even a valley that feels like death I don’t have to be fearful.  He is always there to comfort me with His word and His presence.  He will never allow any enemy or circumstance to overtake me.  My cup still runs over in greater quantity than my uncertainties.  With God before me, His goodness and mercy follow behind me, and because of the sacrifice of Christ I dwell in the Spirit of the Lord not just calm times but all times.  

And so, with this knowledge surrounding me I reach for the trees and regain my harp to produce the beautiful music of the Lord.

Thoughts to Lasso

“So we learn to ‘take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’” 2 Co 10:5 ESV).

I LOVE the beginning of a new Bible Study! I pray about which one I should choose since only the Lord knows the next six weeks of my life. I go the book store when I have time to grab a few studies and I find a quiet chair to sit in. I read through a little of each study to give the Holy Spirit a chance to guide me and nudge me. Nine times out of ten the one I purchase is exactly what I needed in hindsight. But every now and then I open up the first page and within a day I know it’s not going to be what I need. It just happened last week and I made it through two days of it and closed it up, and put it with the rest of my studies completed unfinished. It’s okay if you don’t continue with a resource of meditation if it does not speak to your spirit. With that being said, I am going to LOVE my replacement study, Get Out of Your Head, by Jennie Allen. 

She begins identifying the subconscious warfare from which we are constantly under attack…the space between our ears! We begin with assumptions…I’m not smart enough…I’m not pretty enough…I’m not worthy enough. These assumptions trigger our emotions which can include insecurities, fear, isolation and loneliness. Our emotions, if they go unchecked form beliefs that turn into actions. When I was younger, I assumed that I wasn’t enough…wasn’t important. This assumption produced insecurity and anxiety which formed my belief that I had to please people to have them like me. This belief became a faint drumbeat which fueled my people-pleasing actions where I was taken advantage of most of the time. Actions become habits which shape our days and craft our lives. 

Jennie calls us to a higher pursuit of freedom…freedom in Christ. ‘It is possible to waste our lives if we never learn to take our thoughts captive. Your thoughts produce actions that echo into eternity…Don’t let anyone tell you that your thoughts don’t matter’ p. 15. The first thought you should lasso in each morning are five simple powerful words…God gave you a choice. You get to decide moment by moment what you live for. One little thought could shift all the others and interrupt the chaos reminding you that you belong to the One who controls all things. He defines you by His love and who He knows you to be…His created child who is constantly being transformed and renewed into the image of Christ. We are the first thing on His mind so may we all choose for Him to be the first thing on our mind.

His Ark of Love

“…and the LORD shut him in.” Genesis 7:16

When I was a little girl sitting in church, I remember thinking it was odd that we prayed for certain people who never came to church.  The pastor would ask us to continue praying for them…these mysterious people whom I had never met, staying inside homes which I had never visited.  These people were called shut-ins.  I recall wondering who had shut them in their homes and why couldn’t they just walk out the door?  It’s funny how a child’s mind works.  Noah and his family knew all about being shut in… isolated from the world…waiting for the rain to stop.  2020 seems to be our own personal ark and sometimes it feels like we are the shut-ins.  But this morning I noticed something loving…something tender…something precious about God’s motivation towards Noah.  It is crystal clear that the headline of Noah and the Ark is one of relentless punishment against the evil people of the earth.  But in truth, the headline really boasts God’s protection for His people instead of His wrath towards the others.  The six simple words in Genesis above speak volumes about God’s faithful and undying love for those who love Him.  The protection that God surrounded Noah’s family with is the same protection God surrounds us with… His ark of love.  

God shuts us in and surrounds us with the Spirit to go with us no matter where we must go, and no matter what circumstances have called us there.  When we begin our days shut-in with our Bible, our prayers and our worship to God no storm can overcome us.  Great power is exchanged between the Creator and the created when we shut out the world, and conform to the will and ways of God.  There is no safer place than being shut-in with the protective walls of God.  Some of our experiences can certainly feel like punishment, but God poured His wrath out on the cross.  Every single thing that we experience is part of God’s gracious mercy and protection over our lives.  When we live a life shut-in with God, we access His love for others who are temporarily shut out.  When aligned with Christ and exemplifying His actions while on earth, we fling open the door of our arks, inviting all to experience the community of discipleship.  There is no greater love than the love we give away to those who are hurting, separated from God, and hungry.  ‘Someone is in need today.  People will know we belong to God when we demonstrate sacrificial love like Jesus did…When we wait well, whether it’s building an ark or taking food to a shut-in, the objects of our wait become less important.’ Wait and See, Wendy Pope, p. 92.

As He Said

“And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken…at the set time at which God had spoken to him.” Ge 21:1-2

As I read this section of Scripture regarding Sarah’s promise of a child, my mind was drawn back to 31 years ago. I had been blessed enough to get pregnant both times fairly quickly with my first two children. When we decided to have a third child, I found myself frustrated, confused and impatient as months passed before me with no positive sign on the pregnancy test. I couldn’t understand how twice before it was so effortless, only to be unsuccessful this time around. Thankfully at month 6, I received the ‘plus’ on the test and was elated to be pregnant again. I can remember each month feeling like a year instead of just 30 days. I can’t even imagine Sarah as she waited close to 60 years for her baby. God had promised her that she would conceive and have a child. But time marched on and so did her patience. She took matters into her own hands and created deep adversity from her decision to talk her husband into impregnating her servant. What a mess she created but that didn’t stop God from completing what He had promised her…and neither can we!

‘…at the set time.’ Words comforting at best and frustrating at worse. We want what we want and when we want it! Only God sees the aerial view of the desires of our hearts and how everything must fit together and align with His timing. He understands our tendency to doubt…to grow impatient…to try to manipulate things at our set time. No matter what we do God’s plan will prevail and our rush to force things will sometimes delay the fulfillment of our desire. ‘God’s plan is a good plan, worthy of our wait. His plan is good and so is He…When we wait well, and our wait ends, we will discover that the object of our wait pales in comparison to the Person of our faith…The wait is a reward, because in the wait we get to know God in a way we wouldn’t know Him…Don’t rush the wait!’ Wait and See, Wendy Pope, p. 79.

Peace in our Pause

“Waiting well focuses on the Person of our faith rather than the object of our wait.” Wait and See, Wendy Pope, p. 69

Years ago, I went through a crisis of faith while waiting on the fulfillment of one of my long-waited desires. I almost became obsessed with getting it and felt I was on the verge of my years of prayers being answered. I’m sure that I interpreted verses from the Bible as God confirming I was getting ready to receive the object of my prayer. Over the next while, it was obvious that what I most wanted wasn’t going to be realized…yet. I still have 100% confidence that what God promised me will come to pass but I must continue to focus on the Person instead of the desire. When I read this quote today, I couldn’t help but to smile because I live this out daily because I have no choice. But I am proof positive that when we shift our focus from the promise to the Promise-maker great things happen. Duty of prayer to God becomes delight in approaching Him. Obsession of the ‘what’ will be replaced with devotion to the ‘Who’. 

It is not easy to wait for anything. We live in a culture where waiting feels like a waste of time…an aggravation …a necessary evil. But great things happen in the tension between asking and receiving. Fellowship with God happens…spiritual growth is at its best…the invisible God takes on visible movements in our circumstances. God knows our hearts even better than we do, and He knows every detail of our lives that need to align around our requests. The root of the Hebrew word for delight is ‘to be soft or pliable.’ ‘When our hearts are soft and pliable, we are to bend to God’s will. We can get to know God through time spent in His Word and in prayer. In getting to know God we experience the pleasure of being in His company, and have the overwhelming desire to delight in Him…The Person of our faith in enough. This is where we have to land in our wait because there is no other way to have peace in our pause.’ p. 75.

Like me, I’ll bet there is something on which you may obsess as you open your eyes this morning to another day without the object of your wait. A baby? A relationship? A job? A reconciled marriage? A healed body? There are miles and miles of unanswered prayers but only One ear who has the power, the patience and the purpose to accomplish all that is good for us. Delighting in God brings about transcending peace while we wait well.

Drawing our Sword

“Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built.” Nehemiah 4:18

Jerusalem had been attacked and burned to the ground completely destroying the protective wall that had previously surrounded the city.  Years had gone by and Nehemiah was determined that he and the Israelites would rebuild.  Their decision was constantly being ridiculed by their enemies and their efforts threatened by another attack.  So, Nehemiah came up with an idea for each builder which made it more difficult to build but made it more possible to be victorious in the end…a sword girded at his side.  I looked up the word ‘gird’ and so love one of the meanings provided.  To gird is to surround or encircle which would have also meant to protect and defend.

Every single day of each of our lives we are building regardless of activity.  When the Lord has us waiting…we are building trust in Him.  When we are seeking a job…we are building courage and confidence.  When we are seeking a relationship…we are building community and fellowship.  In Ephesians 6:17, Paul reminds us that we, too should be surrounded and encircled with the sword at our side as we build…the word of God.  ‘And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ Whatever we do and wherever we are our sword will only be our companion through spending time in God’s word.  The sword has no power hanging on our hip without the engagement of our heart and mind into the sword of the Spirit.  It is life-giving…it is life-guiding…it is life-protecting.  

There will always be people out there who ridicule our efforts and attack our beliefs, but we don’t live to appease man but to please God.  As you go about your day building don’t forget to strap your sword at your side and walk in the victory of the Word.  There will always be people out there who ridicule our efforts and attack our beliefs, but we don’t live to appease man but to please God. As you go about your day building don’t forget to strap your sword at your side and walk in the victory of the Word. 'Friends, when we hold on to God's Word, it will hold on to us...The power of Scripture becomes our strength...It will accomplish what it is intended to accomplish.' Wait and See, Wendy Pope, p. 64.

Carried Away

“And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace…And you will seek me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity.” Jeremiah 29:7, 13-14

If you had asked me if I thought we would still be dealing with Covid-19 months later I would have bet on the answer being no. And, if you had gone on to tell me riots, destruction and unbelievable crime in most cities would become a companion for the virus I wouldn’t have believed it. So, how on earth did we get to this point where we feel so many circumstances are holding us captive? Our thoughts of today must have been the same thoughts of God’s people of Jeremiah’s time when they were attacked and dragged off to Babylon. I noticed something this morning when I read Jeremiah’s written letter to the captives as their prophet. He encouraged them to settle into their captivity…to build houses in which to live…to tend to gardens from which to eat…to multiply…to SEEK THE PEACE WHERE THEY CURRENTLY WERE! As I read this account, I noticed the phrase, ‘where I have caused you to be carried.’ 

That phrase is a stark reminder that God will always seek what is best for us. If He sees a nation that has turned it's back on Him…grown complacent of Him…forgotten to include Him… or worse even have removed Him, circumstances will be put in place by a Father who longs for His children and their return to fellowship. He will determine the length of time that it takes for hearts to turn back, for minds to spiritually focus, and for reconciliation of the Family of God. But in His great mercy, He gives us the gift of peace in the waiting but we must ask for it. Not only does He encourage us to seek His peace and pray for His peace, but He guarantees the peace in Christ for which we pray will be given to us. As we search for God in freedom or captivity with the wholeness of our hearts, we are promised that we will find Him and eventually be brought out of the captivity that yielded the fruit of a reconnected heart and a reconciled spirit with our Father.

So, as we go about our captive days may we all seek the peace of Christ in the challenging 'city where God has planted us for now,' and may we walk in the freedom of the peace of Christ no matter what our circumstances are.

“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Co 3:17