“God’s silence does not equal His absence.” 👈🏽 That’s been running like a streaming ticker tape through my thoughts this past week.
I have walked through seasons where God seems to have suddenly disappeared => Seasons when it’s a result of His sovereign circumstantial hand at work and seasons when He’s simply “abandoned” me to my desires.
Today’s reading describes these two seasons when we might experience a seeming disappearing act of God.
The Psalmist is distraught because it seems like God is “standing so far away” while hard things are happening all around, so he cries out, “Why do you hide when I’m in trouble?” It is not a result of something he’s done, rather he is simply walking through a hard thing God is permitting - & if we trust Him fully, we can be confident that it’s for growth and our future good!
In Romans, however, Paul describes how God “abandoned” the people to do what they desired.
Paradídōmi, the root word for “abandoned”, actually comes from two words that mean, “to give from close beside”.
When we the people KNOW God but refuse to worship Him or give Him thanks, confusion and darkness begin to set in. Then, instead of worshiping the ever-living, Creator God, we clamor to worship and serve the things He created.
It is there that God, Emmanuel, God with us, gives us over to our desires. I personally don’t think He abandons us, He’s simply silently waiting for us to turn back to Him.
Regardless of where you find yourself today, I was reminded and thus want to remind you, that God’s silence does not equate His absence.
Jesus became IN bodily form, “God WITH us!” He is WITH us! He LOVES us and wants ALL people of ALL nations to know Him as our steadfast, ever-loving, ever-living, faithful Father who will never abandon us 🤗
July 13th One Year Bible Readings
💡 1 CHRONICLES 15:1-16:36
💡 ROMANS 1:18-32
💡 PSALM 10:1-15
💡 PROVERBS 19:6-7
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