A Trusted Silence

10/11/2020

John 11:6 “When He had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days in the same place where he was.”

This blog post is an alternative to the current narrative of “silence is violence.” Silence can comfort during times of sorrow when there are no words to be said. It can accompany times of awe and wonder. It can communicate volumes. Often times, silence is extremely powerful, and this is certainly true when it comes to our relationship with God.

Mary and Martha had sent word to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus, was very ill. Upon hearing the news, Jesus said that his illness would not end in death...”it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”(v.4) Then Jesus stayed where He was for two days before making the journey to where the sisters waited for Him. Those days of silence and waiting must have been very difficult as the women watched their brother slip away. They knew that Jesus could save their brother, but He did not come.

Chambers asks, “Has God trusted you with a silence—a silence that is big with meaning?” There have been times in my life when, although I prayed and prayed, I could not see or hear Jesus. Ten years ago, a battle started to rage in my life, and I was undone. An illness overtook me, and it affected those I hold most dear. I cried out to Jesus, and heard only silence. My family cried out to Jesus, and heard only silence. Until…one night during a weary time of prayer through tears and on our knees, my husband and I heard God. Our door was slightly ajar, the hall behind it dark, when we heard it slowly open. Although we could not see him, we assumed it was our son, the only other person in the house, and my husband told him we were praying. We both watched the door slowly close as we heard our son say, “It’s gonna be okay.” That moment had a calming effect on us both, and we continued to pray for God to help us. After we finished, my husband went down to apologize to our son for being abrupt when he was at the door, and thank him for checking in on us and his calming words. With a look of confusion our son said, “Dad, I have been in my room all evening, what you heard wasn’t me.” Ashen, my husband ascended the stairs and came to tell me what our son had said. He was perplexed and unnerved, but I was elated; I knew it was a message from God.

Shortly thereafter, things started to improve, but not until we were brought, on our knees, literally and figuratively, to a place of total brokenness and reliance on our Savior. Chambers puts it this way: “His silence is the sign that He is brining you into a marvelous understanding of Himself.” You see, even though we were believers, we were trying to fix what was happening in our own strength. We had begun relying on each other more than God, and our triple cord had unraveled. God showed us that, although we could and should love each other dearly, we needed to put Him first in all things. He was always there, we just needed to focus on Him more, and focus on my illness and each other less. I, and we, received a miraculous healing. Currently, we are experiencing a bit of a silence about an area of prayer. This also has brought us even closer and more reliant on our Lord. We petition in prayer, but our focus is on gratefulness and worship. Amazing grace!

So most of you know what happened with Lazarus. When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. The sister’s and all the people were mourning. When they told Jesus their bother had died, so did He.  John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” After they had brought Jesus to the tomb, Jesus asked for the stone to be rolled away. Mary was concerned because of the time that had past. Jesus reminded her that if she believes, she will see the glory of God. Then the miracle occurred. Verses 41-44: “So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent Me.’ When He had said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’”

So, dear reader, although it’s difficult, be grateful for times of trusted silence, for out of it can come an even greater intimacy with Jesus. Take heart as well, for He will not stay silent forever.