When God is Silent

Someone once said: “When you can’t go forward, there’s no need to reverse; you can park for a minute.” I’ve tried that. “Parking” stops the motion of panic! The psalmist was knotted up inside because of unanswered prayer. This is not a minor hiccup in his connection with God. He’s been anguished about this for a long time (1). The longer he waits for God, the more his inner world comes apart (2).   In times of crisis, we fight a battle on two fronts: the enemy within and the enemy without. I find it’s the enemy within that can do the most damage–that voice that says “God doesn’t care,” “you deserve it,” “you’re useless,” “it’s all pointless.” If I lose my inner balance, I’m more likely to trip when resolving external issues. Sorrow in the heart (2) compromises the spiritual immune system and distorts judgment.   But trusting in the troubling times requires us to be patient while God works it out (5). This is not because God is slow or capricious. Trust during troubles builds resilience and a memory bank of God’s unfailing kindness to sustain us when we need to “park” (6).