Benescke Janse van Rensburg

Silence easily makes us uncomfortable. However, it has its benefits. In 2006, a research study found that an hour's silence a day can significantly improve your mood as it also lowers your stress. The Brain Structure and Function journal also published a study in 2014 which found that two hours of silence a day can contribute to the forming of new cells in the hippocampus of the brain, a key part responsible for learning, memory and emotion. Silence also has a therapeutic effect on people struggling with depression and Alzheimer's disease.

In our spiritual life, the seasons of silence however, can at times feel overwhelming. To keep your faith in I AM when it feels as if He is not hearing our prayers, can at times bring us face to face with doubt while causing us to miss the gift of silence. We can know that every prayer we pray in faith reaches God's ear and during silence seasons in our faith walk, we are tested and prepared while anticipation grows for the major breakthrough on its way.

Abraham and Sarah experienced it while waiting for a child. Joseph experienced it while in prison, waiting for his dreams to be fulfilled. The Israelites experienced it. From the last prophecy of the coming of a Savior in the Old Testament to the coming of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, a period of 400 years of silence had to be endured. Four hundred years! It's a long time. During this time, the nation was forced to go back and revisit the given prophecies and for it to sink in. It was also a time in which their anticipation for the coming of a Savior grew. Only when I AM saw the time was ripe, did He send His Son to be born for us.

What is the breakthrough you are waiting for today? The restoration of a relationship, your finances, your health, a child or spouse or perhaps a job? What is your attitude in the moments of silence? In Psalm 27:14 we read: "I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" In Isaiah 40:31 it is written: " . . . but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." And in Lamentations 3: 25-26 is written: "The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him."

I AM never slumbers, never sleeps and when He is silent, you can rest assured that He is at work behind the scenes. He knows what you need and when the time is right for you to receive it. Instead of becoming frustrated with the silence, see it as an opportunity to get to know Him more intimately. Go back to the promises He gave you about your situation. Remind Him about them and start to praise Him in faith for a breakthrough that is on its way, knowing that He knows best. God bless.

Father God, thank You that my future is in Your hands. Help me to not lose hope and faith in silent times, but to rather wait patiently in faith for what You are about to do. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

• ASSIGNMENT: What is your attitude during silent seasons? Take a step of faith today by specifically thanking Him in advance for what He is about to do in your life.

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