1:44 min read |

Nothing is quite as frightful as feeling alone, especially when facing a challenge or crisis. The presence of a friend in these times makes a huge difference. It’s comforting. It gives us the confidence to keep going.

There are times when we go through trials and struggles. In some of these situations, we may find that our friends are absent. For whatever reason, they’re not around. We feel abandoned.

In times like these, it may even feel like God has abandoned us. We can’t sense His presence or hear His voice. He not only seems absent, He also seems silent.

We must never mistake God’s silence for His absence. Silence and absence are two different things. God’s silence is not a sign of His inactivity.

Between the Old Testament and New Testament, there were 400 years of silence. For 4 centuries there was no word from God spoken or recorded. It’s called the Intertestamental Period. It was a silent season.

Was God absent during these 400 years? Certainly not! At just the right moment, God invaded the world, creating the greatest moment in human history. The New Testament opens with the birth announcement of Jesus Christ, the Son of God!

The apostle, Paul, reflecting on the coming of Jesus at this time, made this observation in Galatians 4:4 (CEV) “But when the time was right, God sent His Son, and a woman gave birth to Him…”

In the life stories of Bible characters, and through the contemporary testimonies of Jesus followers, we learn that people often experience a season when God seems silent. But there is always something beyond His silence. His silence is never His absence. He’s still present, and He’s still working. And at just the right time, you’ll see what He’s been up to!

Pastor Dale

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