When God is not Silent

But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into despair. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

James 4:6-10

I used to dread our visits to my old great-aunt’s house. Adult conversation about achy knees and cousin Sam’s latest romance was utterly boring. So I would sneak away to the raspberry patch and eat sweet berries until my cheeks ran red with juice and my stomach ached. I was a secret raspberry picker.

I can be a word-picker, too. God’s many words about pride and repentance make me fidgety, but I’m happy to pick and choose sweet promise words like “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.“

Much comfort has been written about when God is silent. Many have spoken of the quiet wilderness that stretches long, often covered in darkness. But I am finding that perhaps the season when God speaks requires a greater wrestling. For when He speaks, we are faced with our great agency. We cannot remain unmoved. God’s words catapult us into action. We abide and listen, or we resist. Both require great effort. Both lead to specific ends. Both critically impact the trajectory of our lives.

Is God ever silent?

There are so many words in the Bible. The NIV reportedly has “about 726,109 words, and the King James Version 783,137.” With so many words, can we say He is silent? 

What have I done with the words He has given me?

This is the question I am sitting with today. 

As I sat recently under the weight of God’s words in James 4:6-10, I realized that what I long for God to say is not always what He is speaking to me. He speaks face-your-blind-spots words, empty-yourself-words, searing repent-words, risky come-follow-Me words. Trust-Me words.

I must choose what to do when He is the opposite of silent, when He speaks words that demand humility and the heavy lifting of a splintery and cumbersome cross along a path of suffering.

What I do with the words God speaks today must directly impact my ability to hear His voice in future seasons. #hearingGodsvoice Share on X

How can I expect to resist and reject His words now, yet receive an abundance of words when my fickle heart turns to Him for comfort, guidance, and help in the future?

Maybe God’s words should concern me more than His silence.

Because the Lord loves me, because Jesus is my advocate, I will trust His words, even when they demand change in me. I will put in the effort. I will hold on to them through disorientation and unmooring from the self-preservation and sense of control that have oriented or anchored me in the past.

I will engage with the Word as He engages with me.

Lord, I submit to You today. Thank You for Your many words. Amen.

@audreycfrank

Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay