When God Is Silent

When God is Silent by MELVIN MAUGHMER, JR.

Psalms 77:1-77:20

When God is Silent

By

Pastor District Elder M.L. Maughmer, Jr.

Psalm 77:1-20

OPENING:- I love this particular saying that was on a poster and it goes I believe in the sun when it does not shine. I believe in God when He is silent. I know the sun is up there even on the darkest of days. When darkness veils Jesus face, I rest on His unchanging GRACE. On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.

There are times in this Christian journey that it literally seems that God has abandoned you, turned a deaf ear to your cries, and it seems as though the heavens over head have become brass. It seems as our prayers are not going up and therefore nothing is coming down. We find ourselves desperately pleading to God in prayer, but God is silent.

It is in these silent times that our emotions begin to literally make mince-meat of us and we become an emotional basket case, frustrated, discouraged, disappointed, angry, and we find it hard to even hold on to Gods unchanging hand. Sometimes we even get to the point of just throwing up our hands and saying I quite God if you do not say something!

If you have never felt like that than just hold on you will. One song writer said it like this

Nobody told me the road would be easy but I do not believe He brought me this far to leave me¨.

The Bible does not hide from us the trouble that is part of this Christian journey. Jesus told us that we would be hated for His name sake. Peter tells us think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings. Paul said our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Also in our text we find Asaph, who is a chief musician appointed by David to work in the Tabernacle. He is dealing with troubles in his life. We are not given liberty to know what was going on, but he says in the day of my trouble I sought the Lord¨

Here he is seeking God in the midst of his trouble, yet as he cries out to God he gets no answer from God. His emotions begin to run rapid within him and he become literally a perplexed and troubled individual caught up in emotional emasculation. He says my sore ran in the night and ceased not, my soul refused to be comforted he complained and his spirit was overwhelmed¨.

He begins to question Gods love and care for him because he is seeking God and God is silent.

It is possible that this day of trouble was no worse than any others that he had, but this time when he cries out to God. God is silent and because of Gods silence he begins to question God.

Have you ever cried out to God only not to hear from God then you go into questioning God.

Asaph begins to question God because in the past when he cried unto God ¡V God answered his cries, but this time he did not hear from God. He began to wonder in his mind has God changed? Has His unfailing love gone forever? Has God forgotten to be gracious anymore? Are Gods promises valid anymore?

He is faced with the circumstance of feeling as if Gods love is gone. Now he has a dilemma that he must deal with do I trust God regardless of my circumstances (God is silent) and did I only trust Him in the past because of His answers¨.

Asaph must either reject everything he has believed in the past to decide that God has changed or accept that God is God and He changes not and continue to trust Him even when he cannot trace Him.

When we come to the 11th and 12th verses Asaph comes to the edge of himself and his circumstances, he investigates the rationale of answering his dilemma about God changing and makes a decision, he says I will remember the woks of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonder of old. I will meditate also of thy work, and talk of thy doings¨.

Asaph decided to get hold of his emotions by reflecting on God and the things He has done.

Someone might says that is good preacher for Asaph, but I have not come to that point yet so what am I to do?

GOOD QUESTION!

First you must understand How God speaks to us then you must understand The reasons why God is silent and then you need to know How to act when God is silent¨.