When Silence is Broken

By Lisa Quintana

Our world is loud. We have gotten used to constant noise, and when it’s quiet for too long, it can make some anxious. Yet, it is in the quiet spaces where we slow down to reflect; to hear from God.

But when He’s hard to find, we must wonder what the silence is saying.

When God seems silent, I remind myself that despite what I feel, He is near. I know this because of who He is, how He is described in the Bible as ever-present, all-knowing, and all-loving. So, if I don’t feel God, I don’t go by my feelings alone because feelings change – they are not always great indicators of truth. Instead, I go by what I know of God, the knowledge of God from the study of the Scriptures and my own past experiences of when God met me in undeniable ways.

When God is silent, there is a reason. 

Nearly four centuries went by in Jewish history when there was no word from God, no divine revelation, no sense of what God was speaking to His people. Silence. It was probably agonizing. Four-hundred years of silence must have felt like abandonment. Did God not care?

Malachi was the last Old Testament prophet to receive revelation when he wrote his book (between 458-445 B.C.). He wrote at a time when the Jews were struggling to believe that God loved them (1:2). Throughout Israel’s history, the nation failed, and God called His people back to Himself. Each time, Israel would fail again, prompting the cycle to repeat. God’s final word of the Old Testament concerns judgment for sin and testifies to our inability to love Him without the help of His grace.

As he closes his book, Malachi looks to the prophetic ministry which John the Baptist fulfilled in part: (4:5) “Behold, I will send you a prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” 

Nothing would again be recorded until the Gospels were written. Deafening sounds of silence broken in a moment by a baby’s cry when…

Love came down.

Jesus broke into the dark silence, bringing Light into the world. It’s no wonder the whole of creation seem to hold its breath in anticipation. Jesus was born into this world to become the final sacrifice for the sins of humanity. His incarnation changed the course of history forever. 

Let us heed the lesson of silence, before His appearing:“When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” (Rev. 8:1) Silence is a time of waiting – do we trust God in the process? Remember, God is sometimes silent before major things transpire.

Consider: Do you struggle to follow God consistently, especially in dry seasons? Malachi’s call prompts us to live faithfully before God, waiting expectantly, and offers hope that God is not yet through with extending mercy.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, help us to trust that silence does not mean you have forgotten us. Help us to remember that after centuries of silence, Love Came Down, and His name is Jesus.

This devotional was printed in a free ebook published by Women in Apologetics, a ministry that I work with and is dedicated to equipping, educating and encouraging women to learn apologetics.

You can receive WIA’s brand new 30-day Christmas eBook devo, “Love Came Down”, which features the writings and artwork of numerous female apologists, artists, poets and songwriters as they focus on the birth of Christ. This is s a FREE gift to all our current email subscribers or those who subscribe. Subscribe here: https://womeninapologetics.com/emailsignup/