Ever notice the worst times in your life seem to be the times when you feel that the Lord is not hearing your prayers? In the legendary poem “Footprints,” the author dreamed of walking along a beach with God, leaving two sets of prints in the sand — only the two sets became one at the worst times for the narrator.
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way,” the narrator said. “But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed you the most, you would leave me.”
He replied, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”
That poem speak to those times in our lives when it seems God is silent, as though He wasn’t there at all. Remember the words spoken by Jesus when He was on the cross! He said “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In the gospel of Mark this statement in Aramaic is spoken by Jesus just before he dies on the cross (Mark 15:34), and in the gospel of Matthew Jesus utters these last words in Hebrew (Matthews 27:46): “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” Generally translated as, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
An excellent example is an oak tree – where does it come from? It doesn’t just appear! First the acorn is planted; then it takes time, maybe about a month or more before any sprouts begin to shoot out, deep inside the earth. Then after some quiet time, like a baby in the mother’s womb, some new shoots from the oak tree finally shoot out above the ground; a tiny, new, fragile, fresh little plant, so easily broken, appears.
When we’ve lost all hope of making something happen with our own strength, and in the midst of our time of silence, we gain clarity and a willing spirit to be led as He guides us. Embrace the silence.
Trust God, especially when He is silent. He allowed His son to go through the crucifixion. Jesus Christ surely felt forsaken, too — a clear indication that we, too, must go through periods in our own lives when God is silent. Trust and believe in God, and allow Him to do His perfect work. Silence is golden!
Romans 8:28 says, “And I know that all things work together for good to them who love the Lord, and who are the called according to His purpose.” God was silent for quite a while in my life. He surely was there, with the problems I suffered, He was carrying me. One day He began to reveal what I needed to do, and He will reveal what you must do as well.
Obey His word, and don’t allow hunches to pass you by as if it was only a fleeting thought. Harness the thought and grab hold of it — it is God and the Holy Spirit guiding you every step of the way. How else do you think these higher powers communicate with us; whether it is the Holy Spirit, the Lord, Source, or Universe? Remember this message when God is silent in your life!
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, visit her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on Twitter @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.
