May 6:The Power of Silence: Trusting God When He is Quiet

 Theme: God is Working, Even in Silence

Sarah Bevans
Shepherdess CIC
George Town SDA Church

Scripture: Job 3:11-13

“Why did I not perish at birth,and die as I came from the womb?
12 Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? For now I would be lying down in peace;
    I would be asleep and at rest

Have you ever stopped to think about God’s mode of operation? Why would an all-knowing, all-powerful God choose to use you to do something on His behalf? I have often been puzzled by the thought that God chose me, and it’s that realization that keeps me mindful of my day-to-day life and the connections I have with the people He surrounds me with.

She was my childhood friend; we had not been as close since I left my home country to study abroad. Life took us down different paths, but a Facebook update brought us back together once again. The post was a desperate cry from friends and family asking for prayers on her behalf; she had suffered an embolic stroke and was on life support. The prognosis was not hopeful, and the doctors were not recommending further treatment. I reached out to her family, and my heart grew faint as I learned that a few months before, she had been under tremendous pressure managing their family business after her father and brother were murdered while attempting to flee from armed robbers. As if that were not enough, this happened while she was juggling her personal struggles with a broken relationship and coping as a single parent of a two-year-old toddler and a three-month-old baby. 

As I reflected on that picture, the memories of my childhood friend and the genuine love and
friendship we shared were sufficient for me to ask God to manifest Himself and work a miracle
on her behalf. I spoke to God with the confidence and assurance that He was listening and that
He would intervene for her and for me; after all, He was our only hope. 

What would happen next was not at all what I expected. I continued asking God to move
quickly, as time was a critical factor. An entire month passed, and she was still on life support.
The doctors were concerned that she had not even moved an eyelid. I felt that God was silent,
and desperation crept in. I wanted God to show up on my terms, but He taught me that His
silence does not mean that He is absent. He had been there all along: from the day we met in
our backyard to the night she suffered the stroke and fell. He was there when the doctors were
scheduling to disconnect her life support, present with her, repairing what needed to be fixed. I
could not hear Him; it was not on my terms, yet God showed up!

She awoke from the coma after almost two months on life support. Remarkably, she was
completely healed; there were no ripples in her brain, and she regained the ability to move and
walk perfectly. However, God was not yet finished with the miracle. He did not just heal her and
wake her up; He also gave her a new purpose, using her struggle to build my faith and the faith
of all those who shared in her miracle.

I can certainly connect her story to that of Job. He was a man who had everything—family,
wealth, and good health. But in a short time, he lost it all. Overwhelmed by grief and suffering,
he poured out his heart in despair, questioning why he was even born. His words in Job 3:11-13
reflect deep sorrow, a feeling many of us can relate to during difficult times.
However, God's silence does not mean He is absent. In the midst of Job’s suffering, God was
still there, watching over him and working out His divine plan. Sometimes, God's silence is a call
for us to trust Him even more deeply. It teaches us perseverance, faith, and dependence on
Him, even when we do not hear His voice.

If you are in a season of silence, know that God has not abandoned you. He is still at work
behind the scenes, shaping your story for His greater glory. Like Job, we may not understand
now, but in time, we will see that He has never left us.

Application:
 When God seems silent, continue to pray and seek Him. Silence is not rejection.
 Trust that God is working even when you don’t see immediate answers.
 Look back at past times when God has been faithful—He is the same today.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, in the moments when I cannot hear You, help me to trust that You are still with me

me. Strengthen my faith to believe that You are working even in the silence. Remind me that

Your love never leaves me, and in Your perfect timing, You will reveal Your plans. Amen.