What to do when God is silent, goes the question. But maybe what is really being said here is, ‘God is not speaking to me in a fashion that is convenient or dramatic enough to address my anxieties and hardships.’ Being the anxious creatures that we are, we might be conflating the idea of God’s silence with God’s abandonment or God’s nonexistence. But, as we get to know God, we learn that silence is really a language for God. A means of communication. And if that is true, then, a mature relationship with God invites us to learn a new language! Think of music – it is made up of both notes and rests. Rests aren’t the absence of music. And, rests aren’t inferior to notes. Both are essential. The presence and artful arrangement of both combine to make beautiful music. If we want to hear from God, we may need to remember what the prophet Elijah learned, that God didn’t speak in the wind or the fire or the earthquake but rather, “…in a still small voice.”
5 Lenten Questions with Bishop Rob Wright
Join Bishop Wright in a 5-part video series to help guide us during this season of sacrifice and self-examination.