Silence: God is in the stillness - 24 October 2024

Have you ever asked someone for something and the answer was: I’ll think about it? Have you ever had to wait patiently to find out how things would turn out after making a request at work? It can be quite nerve-wrecking to wait like that for an answer.

Sometimes, we have to wait for a response after surgery or medical tests. Sometimes, we are waiting for the results of an academic exam. At other times, we are waiting anxiously to hear if we got the job after a stressful interview. At some point, we all face a time of waiting in silence. There isn’t always an immediate answer to our questions or requests.

It is true that these periods of waiting in silence can be unsettling. It is not easy to sit in the uncertainty of not knowing what will happen next. It leaves you feeling unsure – creating the perfect trap for those who tend to overthink or expect the worst. Before you know it, you have imagined all sorts of worst-case scenarios and you are a bundle of nerves.

We need to remind each other that God is also present in the silence. God is not only there to pick up the pieces when you receive an unfavourable answer. He is not only there to thank when everything turns out exactly as you had hoped. We must remember, God is with us while we wait – in the silence; while we wait, without an answer.

God is always there. He is present even in the quiet times of our lives.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for being with me as I wait for answers. Thank you for being by my side and knowing the outcome, even before I do. And thank you that I can trust you to guide me forward, no matter what. Amen