"Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel." Malachi 4:4
The nation of Israel is about to enter a period when God won't speak for four centuries. Four hundred years from now, Zechariah will be serving in the temple when the angel Gabriel will appear to him to announce the birth of John the Baptist. In the meantime, they are told how to survive the coming absence of His voice. "Remember the law. Remember His words. Remember His promises."
This is great advice for any of us today who feel that God is silent about a certain issue in our lives. There have been times when I wanted God to address that thing that was breaking my heart. I pleaded for understanding. I sought to be enlightened as to the purpose of my suffering but God didn't answer. The truth is, He's given me enough in His Word to sustain my heart for a lifetime. If I never come to understand the 'why' of a certain event in my life, I can rest in the love and wisdom of God, revealed in the Scriptures. Reviewing and remembering will sustain me. It will even give me joy in my sorrow.
God didn't offer this advice glibly. Nor do I. I have lived long enough to encounter events that would seem to indicate that God is uncaring, even cruel. The evidence was certainly stacked against Him. Without clinging to the truth of Scripture, my trust in His heart would have fatally fractured. I used to think that God was still silent. I compared my wilderness to those in the Old Testament who failed to hear God's voice for long periods of time.
That assumption was an error. They did not have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside. I do. He is a comforter and spiritual guide. Though God may not answer some of my specific questions, He will always speak to me. The Bible sits in my hands. The Spirit is poised, waiting for me to read it and ask for clarification. As soon as I do, He speaks.
Forgive me for the times I pronounced judgment on You. I thought the evidence damning and reached wrong conclusions. The truth about You is in my hands and I rest in it, no matter what. Amen
Originally published Monday, 28 January 2019.
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