Hennie Symington

O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and I am not silent. Psalm 22:2

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:35a, 37

At times each one of us experiences a virtual spiritual wasteland. Those are the times when you feel as if nothing can save you from a feeling of utter desolation. Many poets have called this the “dark night of the soul”. It’s as if there is an insurmountable distance between you and the safe haven of a God who hears, a God who cares, a God who sees, and a God who answers. In times like these, you are at a complete loss.

This is a time of silence. Not only do you feel that God is not answering, but you are unable to address God in prayer. It’s not as if you are denying the existence of God; you simply don’t have the courage or the right words to approach him.

However, this is not the time to make wild assertions of a God who isn’t there, or a God who doesn’t care. This is a time to lie low in the expectation that God will answer as He has done in the past.

Perhaps it is a time to search the long lines of believers who have doubted God’s presence throughout the ages: Elijah under the burning bush, Job scratching his ulcers on the ash heap, David fleeing for his life and hiding  in a cave, and the most awful scene of desolation, Christ calling from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!”

Our comfort is that this silence before God is often the tilling soil for a greater understanding of the depth of your existence, and the heights of God’s mercy. Believe that you will once more hear the gentle sound of God’s voice in your life. Trust and believe that God has not forgotten you and that you will experience new life in Christ. Why? Because God is faithful and true.

Prayer: Lord, we know that life is not always a place of happiness and healing. For many it is nightmare of loss and disappointment. When it is winter in my life, I pray that you will send a dove in the shape of your Word to remind me of your presence. Teach me to wait and not to wander off, but to believe in your promise never to leave or abandon me. Amen