Sun, Aug 19th - 9:17PM

Keep pressing on, even when God seems silent.

There might be times when we feel that God is silent. When we pray, it might seem that nothing happens. Our first reaction might be, "God, where are you?" When some people don't get the response that they want, they just give up. They find it hard to make the journey, or even to believe. What might seem like God's silence, really isn't. Just keep on believing. Don't give up in the journey. Keep pressing on, even when God seems silent.

A FEELING OF BEING ABANDONED BY GOD.

There are some people who feel that God has all but abandoned them. They might even say that God has given them the "silent treatment." They think that God has all but forgotten about them in their time of struggle. Has there been a time when you thought that God had forgotten you? Many people feel this way. As a result, they have many questions and many doubts. As the journey goes on, they become discouraged and weary.

Some people look at their lives and see the struggles that they have to face. They pray to God over and over again. They ask Him for a way out of their struggles. They ask Him for His help. yet, they will say that they've seen no change in their situation. This might cause them to grow angry with God and to walk away from Him. They have it in their minds that God no longer cares about them. They might shake their fists towards heaven and scream out, "God, where are You?" That's how some people approach God. When some of these pray to God, they want their desires met quickly. When they are greeted with what they see as silence, they act like spoiled children. Some think that because God seems silent, He either does not care, or that He does not exist.

The idea of God's silence leaves many people disgruntled. The sinful mind wants to dictate to God how He should act. People want Him to act in a certain way, and to give them what they ask for. When some people pray, they don't ask of God, they demand that God fulfill their requests. If He does not grant their wishes, then He is seen as either being unfair, or non-responsive. This even leads some people to wonder if God really does exist. They don't realize that God answers prayers according to His will, and at His own time. Because some people have seen God as being silent, they end up walking away from the faith.

The world stirs up doubts about God and His role in the world. There are those who refuse to believe that there is a God. Then there are those who aren't sure, and claim that He is too far removed. What they end up doing is casting seeds of doubt and unbelief. These same people will taunt Christians who are suffering. They'll say, "Well, where's your God? Why isn't He helping you?" These people hold the Christian faith in contempt. They believe that Christianity is for "losers" who can't make it. There those who say that they won't have anything to do with God, they deal with reality. At least, reality as they see it. They just don't see Christianity as being very realistic. So then, some Christians have to deal with what they might see as the silence of God, and living in a world that is hostile to the very idea of God.

in addition to these struggles, there is the devil. He torments us when we might think that God is silent. He wants us to be burdened with disappointment and despair. He does not want us to press on in the journey. He trys to steal both hope and faith, and to leave us empty. What he tries to do is to stir up both doubt and despair in our hearts. He wants us to think that God is silent because He does not care.

THE GOD WHO IS NOT SILENT.

Even when you might feel that God is silent, keep pressing on in the journey. Don't think that God is ever silent. He isn't, and He has proven that. Look at the history of the Old Testament. God was never silent in His dealings with His people. Even when they strayed and fell into sin, He always was responsive to them. When He had to discipline them, He was not deaf to their pleas for forgiveness and help. Even though they were not a perfect people, He still showed His tender love towards them. Through out their history, God was never silent with them.

God did not remain silent nor distant concerning humanity's struggle with sin and the devil. He was not blind to humanity's need for redemption and forgiveness. God took action soon after the fall, and set forth His plan of salvation. By sending His Son into the world, God showed that He was not  silent about humanity's spiritual condition. He sent Jesus to stand in our place, and take the punishment for our sins. Through faith, we have One who speaks on our behalf before the Father. Through Jesus, we see that God is not silent.

Jesus is not silent concerning our needs and our struggles. He hears our prayers, and He acts on our needs. He daily speaks His Word to us, which comforts and strengthens our soul. He has sent us His Holy Spirit, who points us back to Jesus. The Spirit gives us the strength to press on in the journey, even through times when we might feel weary. You might get tired from time to time, the Spirit will give you the strength that you need. There might be times when you wonder if God is silent, the Spirit reminds us that He isn't. God speaks to us. He speaks to through His Son.

KEEP PRESSING ON IN THE JOURNEY.

When we think that God might seem silent, then we get off track in the journey. May we always be reminded by the Spirit, that God isn't silent. He still speaks to us. He's still telling us to hold on to faith and to press on. Don't let doubt, the world, and the devil get you off track in the journey. God in His own way will let you know that  He is present. He will not be silent. He'll always be there to guide you and to bless you. Keep pressing on in faith. God is never silent.