Hours of Silence
Whether you are waiting to be expecting or just waiting on God to answer a long-standing prayer, I’m believing His Word will encourage you today. Now don’t let these acronyms scare you! The format is taking infertility medical terms and transposing them into a spiritual acronym. So for some of us, this is very familiar lingo. Get your Bible, pen and a journal or piece of paper and follow along. Take time to devote to Him.
Present Mental State - PMS – Journal your present thoughts.
Take it to the Cross – TTC – Use the journal entry of your thoughts and prayer it as a prayer unto God.
Recently, my husband and I celebrated our anniversary. We took a short, well-needed trip to the Texas hill country. We stayed in this cool, luxury eco-tent near Wimberley. The town itself is built on a square and has a funky, artsy vibe to it. As we were leaving a one-of-a-kind shop the mixed media art piece above caught my eye.
As I looked at the artist creation it triggered a thought ‘Hours of Silence’. It reminds me of a time, not too long ago I felt God was deaf to my prayers, yet He whispered loudly in my heart. I feel the title and picture go hand-in-hand, along with the contents of the devotional.
I’m asking God to whisper loudly in your ear today.
Hours of Silence
Living Hope – LH
“Now Jesus LOVED Martha and her sister Mary and Lazarus. So, when He had heard therefore that he was sick. He stayed two more days in the same place where He was.” John 11:5-6
One morning, very early I awakened, just struggling. Struggling that my prayers haven’t been answered for a sick family member, struggling because the desire of my heart for children has yet to be fulfilled. I retrieved my journal and wrote,
“Seemingly God seems so silent, and/or that He has a deaf ear to my prayers.”
After scribbling down my rational and irrational thoughts, I closed the journal and picked up a book on my desk. A recent purchase from my weekly grocery shopping, If You will Ask, by Oswald Chambers, a classic Christian author. Flipping through the book, a chapter title caught my eye, “After God’s Silence – What?” I began to read the chapter. The tears began to flow, realizing God heard my prayer after all and He just read my recent journal entry too… How dare Him!
I’d like to recollect some of Chamber’s thoughts here.
Most of us are probably familiar with this story found in John 11:1-44. Lazarus was deathly sick, his sisters called for Jesus the Healer to come, but He did not come. He didn’t even send word back to them. Minutes, hours, days. Two thousand eight hundred and eighty minutes, forty eight hours, a total of two days as a matter of fact! Two days since Jesus knew of Lazarus’ illness, yet …
He was silent.
He did not come.
“He stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” (Verse 6)
The wait for the sisters must have been difficult and grueling. The silence, deafening. Their thoughts must have been reeling! They most assuredly witnessed His miracle working power. They probably said, “Why won’t He send word to us? Where is He? Time is running out!”
Have we ever said the following on our journey to Motherhood?
“God, my time is running out! Hello? God! Can’t you hear my biological clock ticking? Can YOU even hear me? Why the wait? You know God I am not getting any younger! Why are you so silent, why do my prayers seem to go unanswered?”
Scripture tells us that Lazarus died, but the most important fact to note here is Jesus did come to the sisters, He came at the right time and was not silent! He SHOUTED, “Lazarus come forth!” The might of heaven spoke and life came!
As I look at the black and white picture I notice the absence of hands on the clocks worn faces, for me, a symbolism of the silence. The human hand reaching up, possibly in desperation, like our hands reaching up to our merciful God as we wait.
Oswald Chambers brings about a good point, “Think again about their situation, along with this question. Which would be the greater miracle? To heal one who is sick or to raise one from the dead?” True, each is a miracle in its own right. Chambers goes on to write, “The manifestation will come in a way beyond our comprehension. His silence is big with terrific meaning that you cannot understand it yet, but presently you will. Time is nothing to God. The manifestation of the answer in place and time is a mere matter of God’s Sovereignty.”
How many minutes, hours and days has it been for you? How long have you waited for the desire of your heart, your prayer to be answered or to hold that bundle of joy? Let’s try not to let the external details of time get us discouraged from praying. Let’s not allow the silence to waste us away and wrap us in grave cloths! It was obvious Jesus came at the right time in Lazarus’ situation and He blew the minds of those witnessing Him coming back to life!
Friend, I believe He will manifest the desires of our hearts in a way beyond our comprehension! Will you believe with me today?
Faith is the Substance of Things Hoped for – FSH a scripture for meditation or memory
“Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams]– Ephesians 3:20 Amplified
His Continued Grace – HCG A prayer for you!
CONCEPTION
“Heavenly Father, thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by You! I desire faith like Abraham, believing that ‘You exist and that You are a rewarder of those who diligently seek You’. You said, ‘I would find You, God, when I seek You with all of my heart’. Father, I choose to seek You first, along this fertility journey. I praise You as You said in the Bible, that ‘You would bless the fruit of my womb, the number of my days you would fulfill and that none shall be barren among your people’. I thank You that infertility and sterility have been nailed to the Cross of Calvary through the sacrifice of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ! I thank you now, for giving me faith and hope to believe for a miracle! In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
Deuteronomy 7:12-13, Psalm 113:9, 139:14, Matthew 6:33, Luke 1:36-37, Hebrews 11:1, 6 & 11
Praise God! – PG Take time to praise and thank Him for what He has done and will do for you.
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