Certain Silence

Author: Mariya S

Do you believe that God can use seasons of silence as a strategy to build your faith? You may feel like He is silent, hiding His face, distant, or that your current situation is just the opposite of the promises you have received. Despite these feelings, trusting Him and His power even in the valley of dry bones and in the wilderness has been proven to elevate your faith. However, the One who allows silence, equips and anoints us with a specific grace for the season, too.

Faith looks like when Abraham believed in God to bless him with a child, even after understanding the practical situation. At a 100 plus years of age, he was blessed with a son. After numerous years of waiting, receiving his blessing and promise, he was required to elevate his faith to another level when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son (he did not have to - whew).

While it is not easy, trusting Him in the fourth watch of night, when the waves are raging over, as the master in our boat is sleeping, is when we start stretching our faith. It is then that we learn to trust and remain silent, comprehending our master’s silence. Though this is certainly easier said than done when it comes to stretching faith muscles, trusting Him during the four days of silence when Jesus didn’t come to meet or do a miracle for Lazarus was when Martha and Mary witnessed the supernatural. 

We are often busy writing our own stories and planning our lives; we pause in-between when things do not go as expected, we get confused sometimes, and expect God to show up and complete the lives we have strategically plotted out. However, God actually allows for us to put a complete halt to the plans we have set in motion for our own benefit (possibly because He can see the future and we have no clue what the future holds). He is waiting to direct a whole new chapter in our life once we put a full stop to our own script writing. 

Surrender your anxiety, be still and stop this striving and you will see that I am God (Psalm 46:10). Stretching your faith is when your striving reaches its limit. You start living beyond the circumstances when you begin trusting him, not worrying or doubting about tomorrows. God is not pleased with all our striving anyway as He wants us to come to Him as we are to be whole and healed (and more on that topic for another day). Faith is the foundation of our relationship with God. It’s not just a matter of what you believe; it’s a matter of whom you trust. We do not just believe Him for what He can do, but trusting Him for who He is. 

We are often satisfied with the faith we have. It is certainly uncomfortable to be stretched in this way. Faith muscles are painful beyond the physical as it challenges our core beliefs and mental capacity. God allows certain seasons of silence in our lives so that He can stretch our faith with each challenge. In addition to faith, it takes tenacity, courage, and grit to achieve the purpose of the certain silent seasons. May God help us become bold and trust Him beyond our horizons, beyond our pauses, and see beyond our uncertainties.