Silence – LOVE | ACCEPT

Lent Spent with the Psalms Day Thirty

We all know the feeling, even if we are unable to bring forth the words:

Why have you rejected us forever, O God?

Why does your anger smolder against the sheep in your pasture? (Psalm 74:1)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. (Psalm 22:1-2)

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” –which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:45-46)

God has not turned his back on you, it can only be that in some way, you have turned your back to Him.

Grace and peace to you.

image Sean Dreilinger

Lent Spent with the Psalms Day Two

Most of us know the sense of depression that weighs on us when we feel as though our words with God are met with silence. Maturity tells us that He says much through the silence. Perhaps it is to wait or a sign for us to draw nearer, to drape ourselves in holiness and creep closer to hear the whispered responses. The silence of the Lord can also be a result of something that we have allowed to interfere with the conversation. It might be something that is tarnishing our holiness, something that displeases the Father who will wait until we have purged it.

David issues a plea seeking an end to the silence in Psalm 28. Should God continue in His quiet ways, all hope would be lost.

To you I call, O Lord my Rock;

do not turn a deaf ear to me.

For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. (v1)

When His voice is again heard in the wind or in our hearts, we rejoice. God has heard our cries. This shouldn’t strike us as odd since He has known of and planned for our need for a Savior since the creation. The first Easter was no random event. It was a debt that God demanded of Himself in love. Are we squandering the price He paid?

Grace and peace to you.

image infandum

Lent 2009 – 10 Steps to the Cross

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) ( Mark 9:2-6)

Sometimes the best policy is not to say anything at all and yet, many of us are unable to stop the words from coming out of our mouths. At best, we risk sounding not so smart and at worst, we injure someone with our ill timed words. Peter didn’t like the silence that surrounded him at this moment of glory. He desperately wanted something to fill the space of quiet around him. Pragmatically, there is nothing wrong with Peter’s intentions and how he voices them. Spiritually though, he failed to wait on the Lord to tell him what his next step should be.

We continue to suffer from this fear of silence in our lives. When was the last time you had an extended time of silence in church? You’re there, the Spirit is there, and hopefully, the Father is present and all three (silence, Spirit, Father) are exerting pressure on your soul. It might be confronting a long held sin, or pressing you to move on another ministry initiative, or even just comforting you in their presence but we find the silence uncomfortable at best. Even in our times of prayer, the keyboardist or guitarist will inevitably succumb and begin to play.

Are we acting like Peter did at the transfiguration? Would he have been better off simply being present at this moment of glory? Find some silence and ask the Lord.