The Silence was Broken

            Being married almost 7 months now, my wife and I have been through hardships no one could have ever prepared me for. Now being on the other side of those hardships, I would not change any of it. 

            In the Christian life we do endure hardships and “seasons”. During hardships, I repeatedly run back towards isolation, the idea that God is being silent, or even hiding himself/plan from me.

            This weekend I had the opportunity to lead 11 freshman guys in a DNOW group in Slocomb, AL. Our theme was Empowerment (empowered of the Holy Spirit).  The passages we studied were mostly in the book of Acts. During the DNOW, I was reminded of the Disciples discipline and patience.

            Acts 1, the promise of the Holy Spirit and the command to wait for Him. If someone was to say to me, “DUDE! I’m fixing to give you something great, but you have to go wait and pray. I will give it to you in my own time.” I not only would allow my impatience and flesh to get the best of me, but I would question why. The disciples went, waited, and prayed no questions asked. Completely trusting God’s timing rather than their own, how awesome is that!

            Acts 2 the disciples then begin the waiting and praying process. During this short span of time, relative to eternity, they waited and heard nothing from God, yet still crying out for Him. This reminded me of the birth of Christ.

            400 years of silence, multiple generations of people crying out to hear from God and for the Messiah. 400 years of waiting……. Just wow. I just started thinking about my insecurity or my lack patience, even my lack of faith seems so infantile.

            God ends 400 years of silence with the cry of a new born child. This is a reminder of how small my “dry seasons” and hardships are in comparison to the promise and fulfillment of the cross.

Philippians 1:6- “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

         If God’s perfect will and the atonement of Christ accounted for my disobedience, how much more will he finish the work he has begun in my marriage/life. The silence is always broken in His time.