“But He kept silent and answered nothing.” Mark 14: 61
Let me speak from what I know. Are you in the midst of some trial now? Are you disappointed… heartbroken… sorrowful? You’ve been silently crying out to God from the depths of your heart. You need a word. You need direction. You need counsel. All those things are promised by God, yet you have failed to see or hear any of them. Nothing or no one comes to your rescue. There is only the sound of deafening silence. God’s heart has to ache listening to our sad, pitiful, complaining cries – He has to feel the sting in His chest…
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8: 28
God does answer, just not in the way we expect is for our best. But what if He doesn’t answer us at all? What do we do then? I’m here to tell you that I have learned that the silences of Jesus are just as powerful as His words, and let me suggest that the silence may be a sign of approval – not a sign of disapproval. I know that I know, God’s desire is for Him to be paramount in the hearts of His people! He wants us to love Him so intimately, and trust Him so completely, that we no longer depend on His voice or any other outward signs of His approval. We can’t be discouraged or worrisome over any circumstance we find ourselves in. We have to trust Him when logic is defied and common sense tells us to abandon ship.
His silence is for our sakes, in that we may learn to love and trust Him as we are taught from His Word by the Holy Spirit. He desires that our response to His love will not be prompted by anything external. If we learn to praise Him in the silence, we’ll learn so much more about how He loves beyond the power of words, and beyond the understanding of the human heart.