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Ever notice the worst times in your life seem to be the times when you feel that the Lord is not hearing your prayers?
There is a legendary poem titled “Footprints in the Sand.” It goes:
“One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
“For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord. After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints. This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
“‘Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed you the most, you would leave me.’
“He whispered, ‘My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.’”
The poem speaks to those times in our lives when God is seemingly silent, as though He wasn’t there at all. But when we’ve lost all hope of making something happen with our own strength, amid our time of silence, we gain clarity and a willing spirit to be led as He guides us to. Embrace the silences.
Remember the words spoken by Jesus when He was on the cross! He said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In the gospel of Mark this statement in Aramaic is spoken by Jesus just before he dies on the cross (Mark 15:34), and in the gospel of Matthew Jesus utters these last words in Hebrew (Matthews 27:46): “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” Generally translated as, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Trust God, especially when He is silent. He allowed His Son to go through the crucifixion, to feel He too was forsaken — a clear indication we must go through periods in our own lives when God is silent. Trust and believe in God, and allow Him to do His perfect work. Silence is golden!
An excellent example is an oak tree. Where does it come from? It doesn’t just appear! First the acorn is planted, then it may be about a month or more before any sprouts begin to shoot out, deep inside the earth. Then after some quiet time, like a baby in the mother’s womb, some new shoots from the oak tree finally appear above the ground.
God was silent for quite a while in my life, but one day He began to reveal what I needed to do. He will reveal what you must do as well. Obey His word, and don’t allow hunches to pass you by as if it was only a thought.
As Romans 8:28 says, “And I know that all things work together for good to them who love the Lord, and who are the called according to His purpose.”
Lyndia Grant is the host of “Think on These Things,” a radio talk show on WYCB-AM, 1340, Fridays at 6 p.m. Contact her at 202-518-3192 or email her at lyndiagrant@gmail.com.