‘Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great
meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of
absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those
days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for
a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to
go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing
you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning
before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear
God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible—
with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because
He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you
a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His
purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s
sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, “I asked
God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead” (see Matthew 7:9).
He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the “bread of
life” (John 6:35).’
CHAMBERS
When Lazarus died (John 11) the family lost any
hope that Jesus would intervene. Jesus
waited, intentionally, for two extra days.
When He told them to remove the stone, they said Lazarus had been dead
and buried for four days. Yet, Jesus
commanded Lazarus to ‘come forth’ and he did.
Why was that important? Jesus was
going to the cross. He would be crucified
and buried, like Lazarus. Jesus called
it the sign of Jonah. Matthew 12:38-39 ‘Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him,
“Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He (Jesus) answered, “A wicked and
adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the
sign of the prophet Jonah.’
Jesus choice to not act on Lazarus’ behalf was not
an oversight .. it was to bring glory to God. The chief end of man is to glorify God and
enjoy Him forever. How do we glorify God
with our lives? We allow God to work in
us .. and through us … so the world can see the Light that is in us. Are you willing to let God do what God wants
to do in your life? What has happened in
your life where God seems to have withheld His hand .. He has been silent ..
absent it seems .. not listening to you … He is not being silent ..He is saying
‘Trust Me.’
Proverbs 16:9 says ‘Men make plans in their hearts, but God orders
their steps.’ We think we have it
figured out. What is best for us. If we can just do these things, everything
will be fine. We ask God to bless our
plans .. our hopes and desires … Sometimes we have asked for the wrong reasons …
James 4:3 ‘You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend
it on your pleasures.’ But often, I believe,
it is God who is withholding an answer for His greater purpose. Can you walk in that truth? Can you cast all your cares on Him .. 1 Peter 5:7? Can you not be anxious Philippians 4:6-7 even when you feel the breath of the lion on your
neck?
The children at Espwa Timoun sing a song … “God
has not forgotten, He knows my name.” If
there might be anyone who would be justified in the eyes of the world for
losing hope, it would be them. But they
have not. We can learn a lesson from
those little children. Luke 18:16 ‘But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children
come to me, and do not hinder them, for the
kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’
Put your trust in the Lord today and let your
light shine among men.
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)
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