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“Be still, and know that I am God...”
Psalm 46:10

There are times in the Christian life when God seems very near. We pray, and almost immediately we see Him answer. We open our Bible, and it seems as though the verse on the page was written especially for what we are facing. The Lord's direction seems clear, His presence seems real, and His hand is easy to recognize.

Then there are other times.

We pray, but there seems to be no answer. We ask God for direction, but the way remains unclear. We seek Him about a burden that weighs heavily upon our heart, yet nothing seems to change.

It is during those times that we sometimes ask, “Lord, where are You?”

The truth is, God's silence does not mean God's absence.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God...” Notice that God does not say, “Be still, and understand everything I am doing.” He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

There is a great difference.

Faith does not require me to understand everything God is doing. Faith requires me to trust the God who does.

Think about Joseph. God had given him dreams concerning his future, but then Joseph was sold into slavery. He was falsely accused. He was placed in prison. Even the man Joseph helped forgot about him.

For years, it must have appeared that nothing God had promised was happening.

But God had not forgotten Joseph.

While Joseph was waiting, God was working.

The same is true in our lives.

Sometimes God is working in circumstances we cannot see. Sometimes He is working in the hearts of other people. Sometimes He is preparing something that is not yet ready. And sometimes, while we are waiting for God to change our circumstances, God is using those circumstances to change us.

David understood something about waiting. He wrote:

“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.”
Psalm 40:1

Notice that David had to wait before he could say that God had heard his cry.

Waiting is not easy. But waiting on God is never wasted time.

Perhaps you have been praying about something for weeks, months, or even years. Perhaps you have asked God to save someone you love. Maybe you need direction concerning an important decision. Perhaps there is a burden in your family, your finances, your health, or your future that you have carried before the Lord again and again.

And heaven seems quiet.

Don't mistake God's silence for God's indifference.

God knows exactly where you are.

He knows what you need.

He knows what you are carrying.

And He knows what He is doing.

Isaiah 40:31 reminds us:

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength...”

It does not say that those who wait upon the Lord will immediately receive everything they requested. It says they will receive strength.

Sometimes the first thing God changes is not the situation.

Sometimes He changes the person who is going through it.

So when God seems silent, keep praying. Keep reading His Word. Keep serving Him. Keep trusting what you already know about God when you cannot understand what you presently see.

And above all, remember this:

God may be silent, but He is never absent.

The same God who was faithful yesterday is still faithful today. The same God who has carried you this far has not abandoned you now.

So...

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

You may not yet know what God is doing.

But you can still know Who God is.