“You have often heard me teach. Now I want you to tell these same things to followers who can be trusted to tell others.” (2 Timothy 2:2 CEV)
There was a theme weaved through what I heard from the word of God this past Sunday; a theme that I just can’t keep to myself! That would not be right!
First, in Sunday School there was some dialogue about the silence of God. The question was posed, “Is God really silent or does He speak to us in the silence?” The class had a lot of responses, including the point that when you think that God is being silent, go to His word and find what He wants to specifically say to you. Another response expressed that God may seem to be silent, but He is really messaging, saying, “Get your act together first! Make some changes and then we will talk!” Still in the same Sunday School class, it was brought out by one of the adult attendees that believers always have the Holy Spirit within us, and He speaks, but we just don’t listen. Watch the weaving orchestrated by God.
In the morning message, we were showed through a capsulated presentation on the life of Joseph how God speaks to us through a series of events, lets us know that we have to go through it to get to it. In his expository delivery of the word, the preacher pointed out that Joseph finally realized that was the case when He concluded that all He want through, where men meant things for evil, God mean it for good, and many people were blessed and are still being blessed by Joseph’s going through. Watch the weaving! God was communicating something that was just too good to keep to myself!
In the afternoon message I had the privilege of hearing another preacher, speaking in a contemporary, topical manner. I learned some meaningful and most significant things through his teaching, his applicable analogy, and his demonstration that pulled all listening into the sermon. And guess what? What I learned was more about when we think God is silent. You are asking, “What did you learn?” I learned that sometimes we have other sounds turned up so loud that God’s voice is muted. God is speaking, but we cannot hear Him because we need to turn down the other amplified sounds that are downing out the voice of God. The preacher made it easy to see that God is saying something, and God knows what He is saying, but we just don’t hear Him because of all the other noise we let go unmuted. Yes, the world is filled with noise! Satan makes a lot of noise in our minds! The secular world makes a lot of noise in our minds! The surrounding presence of people who put their trust in modern-day false God’s makes a lot of noise! The flesh makes a lot of noise! You know that I am right about it! The success of people who seem to be happy, not recognizing that their success will not give them eternal life without a trusting faith in Christ makes a whole lot of noise! Is God silent in our lives believers? Maybe we just need to get God-conscious and turn the other sounds down and hear the Lord loud and clear. What will be the result? We will hear God speak! And when God speaks, “better” is just around the corner! The weave was not over!
I heard a song that let me know that even while enduring the storms of life, the Lord will speak to us! Look at the words I heard below, from a hymn entitled Blessed Quietness, by Mannie Ferguson, composed in the late 1800’s. I can’t keep them to myself! That’s just not right! Have a wonderful Wednesday! Be blessed!
Joys are flowing like a river,
Since the Comforter has come.
He abides with us forever,
Makes the trusting heart His home.
Blessed quietness, holy quietness,
Blest assurance in my soul!
On the stormy sea, Jesus speaks to me, [He speaks peace to me,]
And the billows cease to roll.
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King