When God is Silent

Exodus 1:8-14

Sometimes God is silent.
                                   No...Usually God is silent.

But, with a little faith we begin to notice that silence is not the absence of sound, but the very sound of God's presence.

Here's what I mean...
Right now, you are reading this on some form of computer device.  No doubt, that device has some form of anti-virus system.  You don't see it.  You don't hear it.   Still, it's there, protecting your device from all sorts of threats.  In what we might consider to be silence, your anti-virus is present and working.

God is like that.  Always present, always working, in the silence.

Take a good look at this reading from the beginning of the Exodus story.
Notice the silence of God.
Things have changed in Egypt since Joesph provided a safe-haven from the famine for his family.  That was 400 years ago.  Now, the Joseph family has become the "Hebrew People", and they are numerous and strong.  Notice verse 12, "The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied."  Nowhere in this text is there any mention of God, yet how else would oppressed slaves, subjected to harsh treatment, continue to grow numerous and strong for generations?   Now, think back to the last blessing that these Hebrew people were given from God...the one thing these people were promised.  God promised to their forefather Abraham that they would become a nation of people "more numerous than the stars". In what appears to be the silence of God for generations of slavery, and harsh treatment, the sound of God's presence becomes audible in this verse.

No matter how silent God may seem in your life, and in this troublesome world, with a littler faith we can begin to hear the sound of God's presence...in the stories of everyday people loving one another, enduring and overcoming...growing numerous and strong.

Take a moment and just listen to your own story of faith and life and love.  You know, that story of people and relationships intersecting with you through the generations of your life.  Just be silent for a moment and listen to your own story...everywhere people are loving you, encouraging you, strengthening you...everywhere you are overcoming and growing in faith and confidence...there you will see God, and there you will hear the sound of the presence of God.

Remember, silence is often the very sound of God's presence.  

Amen!