Have you considered
the story of Lazarus the brother of Mary and Martha lately? Bethany, the
village where Martha owned a home that provided shelter and sustenance for
Jesus and His disciples, became the backdrop of one of the most interesting
stories of trust and love.
Jesus is away
on another mission trip when Lazarus becomes ill. It came to a point where the
sisters were so concerned for their brother that they sent a special request to
Jesus to come and heal their brother. “Lord, the one you love is sick.” (John
11:3) And then they waited. Waited for a word from Jesus. Waited for Jesus to
arrive. Hoping against hope that Jesus would show up before their brother died.
All they received was silence. No word, no explanation. Just silence.
If Jesus
would have sent a message ahead of His arrival what would He have said? Fear
not, your brother is going to die, but he will live again. Would that have
helped? Would that have answered their prayer? Wouldn't that create more questions
than answers, perhaps cause confusion? Can we really say we are ready for the
answer God has for us? Dare we believe God’s answer is bigger than our capacity
to receive the answer?
When Jesus
heard the sisters’ request his response was, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s
glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through
it.” (John 11:4)
Not only did
Jesus not answer right away, he stayed away two more days before heading to
Bethany. “So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may
believe. But let us go to him.’” (John 11:14-15)
When He arrived
Lazarus had been in the tomb four days. It appeared that their request, their
prayer had not been answered at all. And yet, they were about to receive an
answer that was above and beyond what they would have asked or even thought of
asking. A revelation of who Christ is, resurrection and life, was about to
manifest in their midst, yet the sisters each went to Jesus to chide him for
not arriving sooner. They were familiar with Jesus, their relationship with
Christ was one of friend, but in a moment their relationship would change from
intimate friend to Glorious Savior.
Jesus deeply moved himself by the
surrounding circumstance of Lazarus’ death and what Father was about to do
said, “’Did I not tell you that if
you believe, you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I
know that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people
standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “’Lazarus, come out!’” (John
11:40-43)
With God silence
has its purpose. Sometimes we aren't able to hear the full answer. Sometimes we
need to rest in the silence of God, trusting without hearing or knowing what
the answer might be. Knowing that an answer will come at the appointed time.
God trusts us
to not slander his reputation in the silence. To stand steady in the quiet
intimacy of the here and now. The richness of the moment, learning to be still,
trusting God. Coming to the knowledge God trusts us cannot be taught by any other method than
His silence. What an honor. What a privilege to be brought into this silent
fellowship with the one who loves beyond measure. Learning to rely solely on
Christ. Learning to hear in silence the deeper yearning God has toward His
creatures, His beloved.
As Oswald Chamber says in his book, If You Will Ask: Reflections on the Power of Prayer, "God's silences are His answers. If we only take as answers those that are visible to our senses, we are in a very elementary condition of grace. Can it be said of us that Jesus so loved us that He stayed where He was because He knew we had a capacity to stand a bigger revelation?"
Stand firm whether you are hearing God or not, stay the course. Trust in the One who holds the keys to life and death.
