trial of silence

Have you ever heard of a trial of silence? Sometimes God gives us a trial of silence, not as the world gives silence, but as a Father who is bringing the best, and all the rest, out of his children.

Silence is disturbing. David writes “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.” (Ps 28:1). It is hard on us to not hear God’s comforting voice, nor to receive counsel from His Spirit readily. Why does God seem to hide Himself at times?

When we were young children our fathers and mothers often reminded us of their counsel and were there to lend a helping hand when we needed them. As we grew, they reminded less, and gave us more freedom. Eventually that freedom afforded us choices, and we either did what our parents taught us, or we did not. Children who need constant reminders have not committed their lessons to memory, nor written their parent’s lessons on their hearts. Immature children cannot be given much freedom for they will not choose wisely and may suffer great harm without their parent’s protection.

Our heavenly Father brings us up in maturity so that He can bestow freedom on us, and with our freedom, great adventures in His kingdom. But He must prove us first, not to frustrate us or cause us fear, but to ensure that His lessons are in our hearts. He does not want us to suffer harm. So, though it may seem He is far away from us, in reality He is watching very near.

When adult children are on their own, there are temptations to do things their parents wouldn’t approve of. Instead of using the good counsel of their father, they may experiment with the foul counsel of their enemy. Yet, without a person choosing of their own free will to obey their father’s lessons and to keep their parent’s values, they are only giving a show of obedience and are insincere in their heart. So silence sets a person free to do what is truly in their heart to do.

God wants us to love sincerely, and to obey from both love and respect of His Word. Some people have a counterfeit obedience, which comes from wanting to look good. They use their gifts to serve themselves and endear mankind to themselves. But the Lord is looking for authenticity. He has invested real riches in us and looks for a good yield on that investment. The counterfeit will prophesy their own words so as to have something to say before men. The authentic will wait, not speaking until God speaks, for their service is to Him.

Wisdom is the hallmark of an obedient son. The hallmark of obedient Christians is that they also grow in wisdom. Just as an earthly father would be proud to have his children follow in his footsteps, so God is glorified by His children’s wisdom (Eph 3:10-12). We must all go through a trial of silence in which our obedience matures us so that we might gain wisdom. Yet God never leaves our side. He proudly watches as we follow each step that he has set before us (Heb 12:1). Amen