Deafening Silence Brings Hope
Bleary eyed I awoke —the morning after. You know the kind of morning I speak of—the one where something went horribly wrong the night before and the sickening waves within try to make sense of it. The eerie silence hung heavy as I made my way down stairs. The sky was overcast and the frigid air outside seemed to permeate within.
Silence follows when folly roars or has its way momentarily. (Hang on to that word momentarily.) When evil does not get its way, it name calls, lies, and threatens. Its very scent permeates through walls thought to be protecting as it unabashedly twists any other perspective by bringing confusion, shame, and guilt upon those who oppose it. It can actually make one wonder if the views they hold might be skewed at the very root.
What does evil want? It desires to steal, kill, and destroy. It’s coy. It’s tempting, and once it is unleashed, its claws go deep because evil does not desire to merely take one out. What it desires is to turn one in on one’s self and destroy. It’s a matter of the soul and you know it deep down. It’s an outrageous battle that has already been won. Thus, evil flails to make us believe it has a stage presence. The reality is, it can do damage, but it will not win.
It states in Romans 8:28. “And we know that for those who are in Christ Jesus, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Who is called according to His purpose? Genesis1:27 reveals, “God created man in His own image.” I suppose we can conclude then that if He created ALL in His image, He came for ALL. And if He came for ALL, then 2 Corinthians 5:15 makes even more sense because it says that He not only came for all but that “He died for all.” ALL.
The father of lies tries to detour our footsteps from being about our Father’s business. A gentle reminder about Truth comes by way of John 10:10. “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
And that’s when I saw the message upon my phone. I was in a heap of sad when it arrived. It was a powerful reminder that He is still creating and that to be a part of this celebratory gift of life—we need only remember that He, indeed, continues to create. Acts gives voice to this. “For it is in Him we live and move and have our being…for we, too, are his offspring.”
The message from my friend read: “I will be a grandma in May. May 10th is the due date. Baby is a little girl—we are all so happy. My son is thrilled.”
Although I rose lamenting over that which took place in our legislative body in the wee hours of the morning, the book of Lamentations reminds us that man does not cast the final vote nor have the final say in any matter for that matter. Lam. 3:23 speaks. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
As I reworked this article, I kid you not, seconds ago, I received yet another reminder that He is working in the midst so we need not be mystified. This time, the text upon my phone read: “D. and J. are headed to the hospital. Baby Ruth is on her way!”
Hebrews 12:2 puts it all in persepctive. “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith: for the sake of the joy which lay ahead…” He is in the business of doing what He does best. What does He do best? He writes life for a living. He creates, He authors, and He finishes. Amen.
P.S. It’s days later now. One of our own arrived with their family. As they admired the newly posted pics on the fridge of the grands, I spoke, “And I know we’re not done yet!” The expression upon the face to whom I was speaking gave way to laughter bubbling up out of nowhere. What did the expression announce? It announced that we, too, are now looking forward to new life come September! And isn’t that just grand!
