Pondering in His Presence: Without Words

"For I am waiting for You, O LORD. You must answer for me, O Lord my God." Psalm 38:15

Lord, I came to Your Word with expectation. I quietly and eagerly prepared my heart to hear what You were waiting to speak to me, but nothing jumped off the page. I read the verses again wondering what I had missed. Was my mind distracted? Was I not focusing on Your truth? Was there any unconfessed sin standing in the way? Where was the passage that was going to carry me through the day? Your Word is always alive and active, so where is it breathing fresh life to my soul today?

I'm confident we all have had days where we are desiring God to speak, yet our time in His Word has left us empty. I read once that God is sometimes silent with those whom He knows will continue to wait on Him. Silence is actually one of the greatest forms of trust, yet none of us enjoy it's reply. It can make us feel annoyed, aggravated, frustrated and forgotten.

When God appears to be taking a sabbatical of silence the void can be deafening. Around us there are stories of "burning bushes", the Lord calling and directing others, yet though our ears are attentive for His voice, nothing. Friends share how God is working in their lives, fulfilling dreams, designing opportunities, and we rejoice with them while longing for similar God encounters. His silence in our lives does not go unnoticed, while our hearts cry for just one whisper. Anything. Instead, we feel we are living in a soundproof room.

In the silence, we discover that faith can grow. As we wait for God to speak, trust grows deeper roots. In the darkness God is still there. We don't need His voice to validate His presence. Our walk with God can be like a series of bars of rest in a musical score. The melody of His spoken lyrics will return. In the meantime, we keep coming, expecting, listening and anticipating. His love for us is not defined by how many times He speaks to us, but demonstrated on a wooden cross where His love reached and touched beyond the power of words.

Seasons of silence do not indicate God's abandonment or His inactivity. How we handle silences can actually be "a pretty accurate barometer of whether we really have faith in God". (A. Gregory)

Father, when all we hear is the empty echo of our own voice, help us trust You with Your silence. Empower us to wait when our kneeling is met with heaven's solitude. Enable us to appreciate time with You, understanding the special wordless exchange. In the sweetness of a speechless encounter our senses can be awakened as we taste and see that You are good. You open our eyes to Your love, grace and mercy. You let us feel Your nearness. The fragrance of Your presence permeates this place of sanctuary, being held in a moment of quiet holiness. We close our eyes and see You. Reaching out our hands, there is a fresh awareness of Your righteous right hand holding us.

May our time with You each morning not be so much about us. May it not be the Word You give us that we value most, but increase our longing to just be with You. Teach us to sit fully satisfied in Your silence. You articulate Yourself to us through speechless wonder.

Without uttering a sound, You fill our hearts with wordless conversation.

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