Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24
Misinterpreting The Silence of God
Have you ever thought that the unanswered text or email of a friend or loved one must mean that they are mad at you? Or maybe a misinterpreted gesture that you are sure means that they don’t like you, or they don’t respect you? Later, when talking to that friend, you find out that your friend wasn’t thinking any of those things at all. When our mind gets the better of us, we can actually regress into an elementary mindset!
Just as we can misinterpret a friend’s silence, we can also misinterpret God’s silence. If you have ever prayed, chances are you have experienced His silence at some point. God does not usually answer our prayers instantly, and whether you have experienced a moment of silence or a season of silence, it can feel like a lifetime in a desolate, barren wasteland. We pray and pray, desperate heartfelt prayers, and yet it seems like God is ignoring us. Our minds can totally knock us off the rails, usually the work of Satan. In the silence, thoughts roar inside our heads that can lead us to feel despair, lose hope, and believe God has completely abandoned us. Nothing is happening, or maybe things even get worse.
Satan loves to get into our heads - to whisper these lies and try to make us believe them. He wants to try to take our faith away and leave us powerless in his grasp. When we have been praying desperately about something, and absolutely nothing is happening, these lies can overwhelm us if we are not on guard.
God is sometimes silent, but He is never absent, no matter how alone you feel. Satan would
have us misinterpret His silence for abandonment. God is always at work and sometimes
the work is waiting in faith. His timing is perfect, and He is working when you are waiting.
God loves us and He does hear our prayers. He cares about us even when it seems He doesn’t. He sees our tears, He hears our cries, He knows the burdens. His words to us are:
Even when you don’t feel My power…
Even when you don’t feel My presence…
Even when your prayers are not answered immediately or in the way you want them to be answered…
Even when you think you are unworthy and undeserving of my love and help…
I am working everything for your good. You are my child and I love you and care about you.
The silence does not mean he has turned His back on us. It does not mean He doesn’t love us or He thinks we are unworthy. In the silence, He is working. In the silence, He is answering – in one way or another. It may be different from what you expect, but It will be the very best answer for you. Sit with Him in the silence and let Him fill you and drown out the lies. Trust Him and lay it at His feet. Leave it with Him and know that He cares for you.
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2
