When God is Silent, He is Not Still

Acts 17:24-31

New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. ²⁵ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ²⁶ From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷ God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’^[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’^[b]
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. ³⁰ In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. ³¹ For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David. 

¹ In the Lord I take refuge. 

 How then can you say to me:

    “Flee like a bird to your mountain.
² For look, the wicked bend their bows;
    they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows
    at the upright in heart.
³ When the foundations are being destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”

⁴ The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
    his eyes examine them.
⁵ The Lord examines the righteous,
    but the wicked, those who love violence,
    he hates with a passion.
⁶ On the wicked he will rain
    fiery coals and burning sulfur;
    a scorching wind will be their lot.

⁷ For the Lord is righteous,
    he loves justice;
    the upright will see his face.
 

We all know what it feels like to experience hopelessness to varying degrees. In fact, many people define hope as looking forward to something that they know that they will never get. Hopelessness is when you look out in front of you and you can't see any possibility for improvement or change. Many of us today are drowning in a sea of hopelessness surrounded by a land of emptiness where there seems to be no way out.
That reminds me of a story. In the summer of 2000, a Russian Oscar II Class Submarine, the Kursk, sank in the Barents Sea due to an internal explosion. Divers made several attempts to go down and assess the situation to determine if anyone had survived. When they were finally successful, they discovered a group of twenty-three men who had survived the explosion. These men had gone back as far as they could to the end of the submarine, and had gathered together in the last remaining pocket of air.
But the rescue team hadn't made it to them in time. All twenty-three men had died. On the inside wall of the submarine, they found this note that had been etched there by the Captain-lieutenant Dmitri Kolesnikova. It said, "It's dark here to write, but I'll try by feel. It seems like there are no chances..."
The hopelessness we hear in Dmitri's words has been shared by many of us. We've all faced similar feelings at some time or another where there seems "like there are no chances." Hopelessness in the middle of life's storms is a human experience that is common to most of us.
It's one thing to be in the middle of a trial that has been brought on by yourself through a bad choice or action. But it's an entirely different thing to set your heart on serving God only to discover that it seems He has abandoned you in the middle of a storm. In times like those, remember that although God may be silent, He is not still. Wait on Him. He may just come walking to you on top of your storm.~Tony Evans

I remember many times in my own life when I thought God had abandoned me. I would think things like: "Why would God let this happen to me", or "This is too much for me to handle". I see now, that God was working in every one of those situations. He constantly bailed me out of horrible circumstances. I understand now that God will let you go through difficult events in your life, to draw you closer to Him. I was right, when I stated, "This is too much for me to handle on my own". God wants to be there for you to help you along life's journey, but you have to come to the realization that you are in need of help. A savior, so to speak, someone who will take your hand and pull you up out of the pits of life. Sometimes God will allow a "wake up call" moment to happen in your life. A realigning of your heart with His. When I was growing-up my Dad would allow me to get my butt kicked by the kid down the street, just to prove that He had a valid reason for me to not be around that boy. Even though I knew He was right, the temptation from the "fun" they were having was too grand for me to pass up. Our lives are the exact same way with God. . . . . .We need to have our butts kicked by life every once in a while, just so we can come back to the realization that we need divine help. God is always there, even when you choose the joys of this life over Him, even when your circumstances are overwhelming.

Deuteronomy 31:6

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Glorify God to the Maximum

Psalm 108:3
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, 
among the peoples, and I will sing 
praises to You among the nations.

   By making us in His image, God gave us capacities not given to other forms of life. Ideally, He made us to know Him, to love Him, and to obey Him. He did not put rings in our noses that He might pull us around like oxen. . . . . . . .
No, He gave us freedom to make choices. By His grace we are equipped to understand His plan because we have a mind with which we can know Him. 
We are also free to love and adore Him because we have emotions. He takes pleasure in our affection and devotion. We can obey His instructions but we are not pawns on a global chessboard. It is in the voluntary spontaneity of our response that He finds divine pleasure. When His people freely respond in worship and praise, obedience and adoration, thanksgiving and service, 
God is glorified to the maximum.
   It is up to you, this thanksgiving, to give God thanks for what He has done in your life. My prayer is that you would stop. . . . .,and give God thanks and glory for what He has done in your life. Wouldn't it be nice if we could ALL look for a way to serve someone other than ourselves on this day of thankfulness? You see, that is exactly what Christ did while He walked this earth. He never needed to be served, but people would serve Him because of their great love for Him. Jesus wasn't focused on himself, but constantly had others needs in mind. 
   Could we escape from this world of self indulgence's long enough to put others first? Is it possible to take this day of thanks, and glorify God with our service to others, thankful spirit, and put the focus back on Him? Thanksgiving will come and go . . . . . then we will be stuck in the grind of shopping for the next best deal in town. Christmas will also come and go for another year, and after all this is over for one more year . . . . . . , will your lives show:
God is glorified to the maximum?

CATCH THE BREEZE

   Have you been in the doldrums or going through a slump in your life? Maybe you find yourself in a life-draining crisis or, more likely, just numb from going through the day in, day out routine of life. You get up, get the kids up and ready for school, go to work, chauffeur kids around for sports, go home, have dinner, clean up, look over work stuff, pay the bills, and finally collapse, exhausted, into bed so that you can do it all again the next day.
   
   Maybe there's some variety on those days that you throw in some overtime at work or go to a church bible study. But it all blurs together, and sometimes wonder why you do what you do. You're almost afraid to stop and step back and look closely at your life for fear of what you will find. You don't even know if you're happy or if you are doing what you should be doing. You simply exist.
   
   You need to reclaim your life and breathe fresh air into all areas of it. You may feel like you are gasping for air and desperately need CPR. Or maybe you're at the top of your game, doing your best, and like an football player on the sidelines inhaling oxygen, you simply need a breather before you reenter the game.

   Most likely you alternate between the two, some days feeling like you are on the verge of a complete breakdown and other days feeling like you need a short breather. Whatever the case may be, we all long for that sweet sensation of opening a window and allowing a gentle breeze to come across you. No matter where we are on life's seas...in the doldrums, in a hurricane, or in calm waters--you and I need wind in our sail to move forward.

   How do you brave the elements? Well, I am not putting the focus on being a better christian or giving you ideas on how to control your behavior. The internal combustion of personal passion requires something supernatural happening inside of you. It requires God's presence in your life in a real, tangible, feel-it -everyday kind of way. And this means falling in love with Him like never before.

   Do you need breathing lessons? Begin to pay close attention to the source of any cool, refreshing breeze that is currently blowing in your life. When you find this, you'll discover the difference between a person or place that pours life into yo and on that drains you. Try to remember that person or place that last brought you a breath of fresh air. How did the person or place refresh you? Once you are able to recognize the tangible qualities that invigorate you,  you will find it easier to pursue their sources.

 Deuteronomy 30:19
New Living Translation (NLT)
19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
   

2 Corinthians 1:8-10
New Living Translation (NLT)
8  We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.