Focus: When God is Silent
By Melissa Hall, Anastasis
Scripture Reference:
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed (Proverbs 16:3).
Devotional:
You have an important decision to make, or you feel unsure about your ability to do something and don’t know where to start. You’ve prayed to God and asked for his guidance. You’ve constantly petitioned him (Luke 18:1) but there’s been no answer. You’ve pored over your Bible (Psalm 119:105), sought the advice of your friends (Proverbs 20:18), even returned to the last bit of guidance you received only to find out it doesn’t apply. Finally you repent of everything you can think of (Isaiah 59:1-2), but still God is silent. You feel like Job (19:8), wandering in the darkness, desperate for encouragement. But God is silent. What next? What happens during these times in the wilderness? Are we left to wander around in circles - or worse freeze, into inactivity too scared to make the wrong decision lest we fall off the narrow path?
God knows us; we as Christians have to trust that if we’re about to wander from his will for us he will warn us (Numbers 22:21-38). After all he sent us his Son to be our Shepherd (John 10:14) and what do shepherd’s do? They make sure their sheep don’t go wander onto dangerous paths, fall into holes or start chewing on something that looks really good but turns out to be poisonous. Now I confess I have never herded sheep, but in England it’s a sport; you can even watch it on television! When the sheep are going in the right direction the shepherd and his dog are quiet, but they whistle and bark like crazy when the sheep are going in the wrong direction. We are Jesus’ sheep, we know his voice (John 10:27), but when we don’t hear him perhaps we shouldn’t despair; maybe we are just going in the right direction.
When I made my decision to join Mercy Ships it was based on wisdom and the desires of my heart. I love sailing and wanted to serve God in Africa. I agonized over whether it was the right decision. God never gave me that resounding, ‘Yes! This is the way walk in it!’ It was only after I’d signed the contract, when money came pouring in and I discovered we were going to Liberia (a country I’d supported as a schoolgirl) that I felt God confirm my plans.
Perhaps, occasionally God wants us to simply step out and ‘Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed’ (Proverbs 16:3). This is after all a journey of faith: we cannot always see the path before us. It’s like that scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when Indiana has to find the way across a great abyss to reach the Holy Grail. The only clue he has is to, ‘Take a step of faith’. He closes his eyes, and places his leg over the chasm, shifts his weight and bang! His foot makes contact with a glistening path, reaching to the other side of the ravine. It’s sometimes only when we move forward that God reveals and confirms the way.
Prayer Points:
* Pray we will know when to persevere in seeking God’s guidance and when we need to step out in faith and commit our plans to Him.
* Pray for an increase in faith for every person in Mercy Ships, faith in our ability to hear God and faith in His ability to keep us on the right path.
* Pray for God’s Liberian sheep - that He will comfort them and guide them to fresh pastures this Easter.
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