Always blessed when the Lord speaks through his people…Here is a note from one of our student friends, Julia…

Blind and Dry

Those moments when God feels distant and silent are often the most thought provoking. They leave me considering all the various thoughts and teachings I’ve heard…some say, you’re just in the valley, be still; others say that your only responsibility is to worship, and God will fill you; some say that you need a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit; and common thought and actions all point towards just “acting” the life out, and the feelings will come later. While all of these may be true, there is ultimately only one thing that separates us from God and His presence.

In Ezekiel 9, the children of Israel had fallen into sin, and God instructed “the man clothed in linen” to go through out the city, and mark the forehead of all those that groaned over the sin done “in the mist thereof.” All others who did not receive the mark were to be killed- men, women, and children alike. This reminds me of the seriousness of sin. Am I aware of my sin, and it’s consequences of death and destruction? Am I moved enough to groan when I see it?

Ultimately, God will never leave nor forsake His own. (Hebrews 13:5,6) ”But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8  His silence is not His absence, but merely the separation that I inflict due to my sin.  When leading a large group of children in games, etc, and I know I do not have their attention, I often stop talking till they notice my silence. It’s not that I’ve left them, nor changed my mind about instructing them, I am just simply waiting for their attention.

Silence isn’t absence, it’s patience.