When God is Silent

When it's time to share a message at PHCC I spend time asking Holy Spirit, "What do you want us to share?" Holy Spirit has never let me down in answering that question. However, the answer is not always, shall we say, 'eloquent'. Holy Spirit usually grunts out a one word answer or a question!

Today, the answer was a question, "What does it mean when God is silent?" Thanks a lot, Holy Spirit! LOL.

Since right now not all of our parishioners read this blog, I can share with you the answer to that question without revealing tonight's message.

My first thought was we, as believer, are called sheep and I wondered what sheep do when they don't hear the shepherd's voice. I know the Bible says His sheep always hear his voice. What should be understood in that verse is we hear His voice when He speaks.

Christians say some stupid things as, "God is always speaking, we're just not always listening." That's a really dumb thing to say because it contradicts the Word. The Word says His sheep hear his voice. Does that mean if we don't hear, we're not sheep? No. Why do we think God always talks? The scripture gives account of times when God is silent.

Revelation 8 says there was silence in Heaven. Hmmmmm, guess God had nothing to say at that point. In Genesis, after God was finished with Creation, God looked at what He had made. Was He talking while He was looking. I think not. After He looked He said, "It is good." In the Hebrew what He said was, "Beautiful!"

I just heard a speaker teach a whole message on the word 'good', but they didn't realize it should be 'beautiful'. It was amusing.

Back to the subject at hand. . . thinking of sheep, the shepherd speaks when there is danger, when action is needed, when soothing or correction are needed. Other than those incidences, the shepherd would have no reason to speak to the sheep unless the shepherd just wants to do so. During those times of silence, the sheep graze, rest and procreate.

Job didn't hear God for 37 verses and when God finally answered, God asked Job a question which was basically, "Where were you when I . . . . ?"

When the prodigal son returned to the father, the father didn't speak to him! No, he didn't! The father spoke to the servants instructing them to prepare a feast. Psalm 23 indicates the great Shepherd prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies.

Perhaps the silence of God means God is preparing the Bridal Feast for us. While God does that and there is silence, perhaps we should graze on the Word of God, rest in His peace and reproduce believers through salvation for the Kingdom of God, the family!

Absentee Blogger

I'm ashamed to see how long it has been since I blogged! It's not that I haven't been working the internet presence. With two websites, FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and two publishing sites, not to mention email, I've been firmly placed in www-land.

Having recently preached to the congregation, the value of having a message and disseminating said message, it is no accident that my blog came back on my radar.

So, here goes. . .

How's your relationship with God been lately? Have you visited God recently? Have you 'called' God in the Spirit? Have you toured second and third heaven? Just checking.

Ignoring God doesn't effect the Supreme Being as much as it robs us. Spending time with God preserves our sense of well-being. It prevents us from feeling God is upset with us. It promotes spiritual awareness making us more effective as a Christian believer in our sphere of influence.

And. . . it's fun!

One Christian leader had a conversation with God. It went something like this:

God: 'You know how all things lost in Adam are restored in Christ?'
Believer: 'Yes, Lord?'
God: 'Well Adam had a garden.'
Believer: 'I know that, Lord.'
God: 'What if I gave you a garden?'
Believer: 'A garden?'
God: 'Yes, you have a garden, a heavenly garden. And you can visit it anytime.'

That conversation began a new dimension in intimacy with God for that believer and for a lot of us who realized the truth of God's gift.

I visit my garden often, not as often as I could, but often. It's beautiful and I am constantly discovering new areas of that garden. It's peaceful. When I visit my garden frequently, I find life goes well. Of course, the Lord shows up in the garden as well. It is 'our place' besides the throne room of course.

There are orchards, vineyards, an ocean, waterfalls, beautiful flowers. I don't have to work to plant anything. I just think it and whatever I thought is there. Of course it's all good stuff, nothing bad that doesn't belong.

One day I realized that the vines in the vineyard were not held up by wire as they are on earth. I could run through the vines and not be tangled. The vines would dance with and around me. I finally laid down laughing after a particularly lively jaunt through the vines.

Then I saw them. . . I saw sandaled feet coming toward me under the vines. Just above the feet was the hem of a robe and dripping from the robe was beautiful sweet red wine. I realized that the same wine was dripping from the grapes, but the grapes were not crushed or withered.

Of course, the feet belonged to my Jesus. He had the biggest smile on his face! He had been watching me dance among the vines and it brought Him joy. Oh, how I love Him and how He loves me!

Now, why not go play in your garden?