“O Silent God” by Rufino Zaragoza
O silent God, Holy One, God Unseen, God unknown.
Hear my prayer, hear my cry. Have you abandoned me?
In this dying I join your dying; in rising, I join your rising;
In this dying, I join your dying with Jesus, the glory of God.
Dear God, my wife and I were talking earlier this week about your silence. There have been times when we felt like you were being ridiculously silent. But she pointed something out to me that made me reply, “Now that’s a thought that’s going to fester.” She said that when she looked back, you were always talking to us. You weren’t really silent. You just weren’t giving us the answers we were looking for.
I’ve talked about pains in my life. I’ve brought them before you. And I’ve been frustrated at the years of silence on these issues. I’ve lamented. But she’s right. You’ve still been talking to me about so many other things.
- The most recent is my involvement in Christian Men’s Live Skills, a class for men to learn about soft skills like self-esteem and leadership, useful knowledge about important things like substance abuse and anger management, and then personal finance–all within a Christian context and alongside Bible study. I’ve loved it.
- You got me involved in mentoring a really neat young man who has a lot of challenges life has put in front of him. You’ve guided me to him.
- You’ve given me the Parents of the Bible project that I think has blessed others.
- You’ve given me opportunities to speak and preach to church groups.
- You’ve given me an upcoming opportunity to speak to some graduating seniors in the National Honor Society.
- You’ve given me success at work, and you’ve answered my cries when I’ve needed help and during crisis.
- I don’t know that the recent honor I got from the local Chamber of Commerce was from you, but I tried to use it to bring you glory and not myself.
- You’ve given me a wife who is loving an encouraging.
- You’ve given me three good friends who strengthen and nurture me with your love and wisdom.
As I think about this partial list (I could go on and on), I think about Naomi rolling back into Bethlehem in Ruth 1:19-21.
19 So the two of them continued on their journey. When they came to Bethlehem, the entire town was excited by their arrival. “Is it really Naomi?” the women asked.
20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?”
Naomi thought you were being silent, but you were working in ways she couldn’t see, starting with giving her Ruth. Of course, that would develop into Ruth and Boaz, and by the end of the book, she would be holding Ruth’s baby Obed. And she didn’t know that Ruth would lead to Israel’s greatest king, David, and then David would lead to your pathway for Jesus to enter the world. She only thought you were being silent, but you were actually speaking in so many ways.
Father, I’m just going ot have to accept that you are not prepared to give me the answers to my most fervent prayers right now. It’s not the plan. But it doesn’t mean you aren’t doing anything in that area or that you are being silent to me in general. You are doing a lot. You have done a lot. You will do a lot. My job in this moment and for all of the subsequent moments is to worship you and love others as much as I can. Help me to do that and to be who you need me to be in someone else’s life. Let me be your voice for them.
I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
Amen
Emails to God 