I’ve been here before…I didn’t think I would end up here again…not so soon at least. It’s this place of seemingly no answers and unanswered prayers. The seemingly brick wall of silence. A silence that hits the soul so deep it’s almost deafening. Where I begin to question my relationship with Jesus, many times asking am I even right with God? Do I really have faith? What I do I really believe? What really is my purpose? all of this as life seemingly just stand still.
You can be busy in this place. The day in day out routine of life keeps you waking up in the morning, humming along, but inside at the core of your heart, is a desert. A desert so dry that no amount of water seems like it would be satisfying. This is the lonely place.
The lonely place can seemingly stretch on for days, months even years. You try every prayer under the sun. Prayer of repentance, of faith, of hope, surrender even but yet still nothing seemingly changes, in fact we feel even more alone, isolated and cut off from God.
These times in life can be very challenging, but the reality is that in those moments, God is doing more than you can ever imagine. Romans 8:28 NLT tells us, ‘And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.’ The only problem here is that our definition of ‘for the good’ often means a problem-free life where everything happens exactly as we’ve mapped out in our heads—a trial-free and non-difficult existence.
I have learned that the place of silence and what seems like deep emptiness draws us to seek God in ways I never thought possible. In this season, we need to be focused on Jesus. Our eyes, ears, and heart must shift from our present circumstances to seeking what God is trying to do in this season. We must be encouraged that God sees, as Psalm 34:18 NIV states: ‘The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’ We are also encouraged that God hears, as 1 Peter 3:12 NLT says: ‘For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’ And finally, we can be assured that God will refresh our soul, as Isaiah 35:6 NLT promises: ‘…Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.
Some of the best times of prayer, revelation of God’s word and working of the impossible in my life has been in these seasons. You will come through this, but Jesus must be your single hope!