Calmed in HOPE

… the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him

(Habakkuk 2:20, NKJV)

One of the most difficult moments for a parent is to watch his child crying uncontrollably from pain.  When a child is unwell, there is no way of explaining to him what is happening to his body.  The child expresses his discomfort and confusion being experienced through crying.  If the child is taken to hospital where he meets strangers all round, the pain is compounded by fear as the he wonders where the protectors, the parents or care-givers are.  Most children will cling to the person known to them and with all the strength they can master, they resist the stranger. As a mother, I have witnessed such heart-wrenching moments for both the child and the parent.  The situation however changes when the mother lovingly holds the baby in her arms, the child looks up to the mother for an expression of what to expect and when their eyes meet, the child is soothed to a state of calmness.  The pain might not be all gone, but the assuring look of the mother and the warmth of the embrace, helps the child to be silent, hopefully ending up in deep sleep ouut of exhaustion.

There are times when even as adults, we struggle to understand what is happening around us.  When loved ones pass away especially in unexpected circumstances, no amount of detail is able to answer the questions in our hearts.  When we give our very best and end up facing massive losses of properties, dreams, relationships etc., there is no explanation that soothes our pain and state of confusion.  In such moments, we are no different from the child who feels lost and alone.  Our reference verse comes from the same chapter where we get the common verse, “the just shall live by faith” (Vs. 4), which starts by stating that the proud do not have an upright soul.  The chapter lists down sorrows and pains that the wicked bring upon themselves.  Beloved, we live in a time when we watch issues that make us feel helpless and our hearts are disturbed.  However, as we acknowledge this pain, the word of God calls us in the final verse of the chapter to a point of silence, reason being, the Lord our God is in His temple.  Just like the sick child with the mother, God knows that we are suffering and He looks at us with love calling us to be silent.  The message reassures us that He is not helplessly watching us suffer but is working behind the scenes to help us through the difficulties.

Throughout the scriptures, we see God speaking to His people in soft silent ways.  Prophet Elijah in seeking God to speak to him, note that God did not speak through the loud voices of great and strong wind, the earthquake or the fire, God spoke in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12).  It would seem that God has a place for silent moments of our lives, He spoke to Samuel in a quiet evening (1 Samuel 3:3-4).  Jesus Himself also took time to seek places of silence to be alone with God (Mark 1: 35),  Beloved, it might help our walk of faith to find moments of silence, when we look to our Lord and King and find solace, where our anxious hearts are quieted by the Holy Spirit, giving us strength for the next step. We find our power in submitting to God’s presence, not because the physical has changed but because we know He is all powerful and His plans for us are good.  We can trust Him to handle that which we cannot explain or even understand.  We are invited to be still and rest before the Lord, even as we wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:7).  Beloved, I know this is not always easy to do, but when we cannot help ourselves finding a place of rest is important.  Our silence in God’s presence, communicates our trust and faith in Him, the all-knowing God whose love will faithfully hold us through these tough times.

Thoughts:

Are there areas you need to surrender to God?

How have you experienced God’s calming presence?

What does the posture of being silent mean to you?