Seasons of Silence

Have you ever felt like you were at a loss for words? …or at least when it was important? I tend to have plenty to say in the unimportant moments. Yes, those moments seem important to me. I am defending my actions, declaring my rights, or proclaiming my views. But, are those really the important moments. Are those maybe the moments I need to learn to embrace a season of silence instead?

I started SHINE several years ago. You can see my seasons of silence very quickly by looking at the blog archive and seeing huge gaps in the posts. Sometimes, those seasons have been because I was in my own struggles…maybe voicing more in the unimportant moments in life and therefore hindering me to proclaim the fundamentals of my walk with Christ. Either way, my season of silence needs to come to an end. When I feel like there is nothing that can come out of my mouth to be of use or importance, I need to remember that that statement will always be true, but taking if I commit to let God speak through me… even in silence, there will be a message.

So, I am going to purpose to once again let this blog be a place where God uses even my silence for His glory. Because honestly, every post I make should have nothing to do with me. My purpose should be that you never see me, but always see the work of God in the life and journey that He has given me. When God called me to SHINE, He called me to be real. So I am committing to you that I am going to be real with you and ask you to join me in this spiritual walk that we are on together. Let’s SHINE in our silence, let’s SHINE in our joy, let’s SHINE in our sorrow, let’s SHINE in every whisper and every shout.

I have personally experienced several very trying years; physically, spiritually, emotionally, financially and more. What good are the trials if God doesn’t get any glory for them? And what good are the trials if we do not become any stronger from them? I prayed over a verse to share, and this is what God laid on my heart:

 

I want to return to the work I know God has called me to. And yes, honestly, I do feel like I have been torn to pieces over the last year or so. But I looked up this verse in the Lexicon and found some neat insights. The word used here for torn is “taraph”. It can mean catch, without doubt, feed, rend in pieces, surely, tear in pieces, to pluck off or pull to pieces; causatively to supply with food (as in morsels), ravin, rend in pieces. A couple of those meanings stand out to me. Feed and pluck off especially stand out. What if the trials you and I are enduring are actually part of His healing process? What if the pieces he is plucking off of us are so that we can become the people He wants us to be? What if the actual trial you are going through is what is going to feed someone else’s faith?

The next part says “he has injured us”. This can be interpreted as kill, smite, give thrust into, drive. Could it be that God has allowed these trials to be the driving force to kill those things in us that do not belong? Could this all be part of His refining process?

So why has God allowed this? It is because of the return. “He will HEAL us. He WILL bind up our wounds.”

I love the word used here for “heal”, it is the Hebrew word “rapha”. I know you have heard of God being called Jehovah Rapha. If not, let me tell you a little more about what the word “rapha” means. It means to become fresh, be completely healed, purified, to repair and stitch together, to cure. It is infinitive construct of purpose. THERE IS A PURPOSE! And what is that purpose? To bind up our wounds. Bind up means “chabash” or bandage, wrap, or ruled. But the most interesting translation of this word means “to saddle” or “equip a beast for riding”.

Now, I know that may sound funny to you, “saddling” or “equipping a beast for riding”… but isn’t that like us? We are those wild horses, running our own lives, doing things our own way. But then, our Savior comes in, thrusting us into a place where we have to trust him to supply us with small morsels of food, if for nothing else to train us, to condition us, so that we are able to be the instrument that carries the King of Kings into the presence of those around us.

You know, that donkey that carried Jesus into the town on Palm Sunday isn’t known for speaking out… unlike the one in the story of Balaam. The donkey who had the honor of carrying the King of Kings never had one word in the story... but the job he had was so important. I’ve heard the phrase before that “silence is golden.” So from now on rather than looking at my “lack of words” as indication that I am not being used by God, I am going to open my eyes to the bigger picture and seek God’s guidance as to what He is preparing me for in the future.

Do you need healing? Do you need to return to the Lord? Do you need to remind yourself that this season of silence is not in vain? Let God be your Jehovah Rapha today and supply you with the food you need today.