Seeing God’s Kindness in His Silence
The other day, I was having a pity party that spiraled into a full descent into the Pit of Despair. (Princess Bride, anyone?)
In the midst of it, I was wondering why God wasn’t intervening in a certain situation in my life. Surely, He could see what was going on. Surely, He was aware of my hopes and desires and needs in the situation. Surely, He hadn’t forgotten me.
Then why wasn’t I seeing His kindness in the midst of a difficult situation?
As all of this was circulating in my brain, I began to wonder why God didn’t seem to be trying to encourage me as He should be. Why wasn’t He making His kindness more evident? Why wasn’t He at least comforting me if not removing me from the situation?
Sometime later, the question came to me: “Why would He fellowship with me when I’m in tantrum mode? Is He even able to comfort me if I’m focused completely on myself, not on Him and whatever He’s trying to say to me?”
Immediately an image came to mind of a toddler throwing a tantrum, wailing and flailing on the floor, while the parent quietly sits in a chair and waits for the child to wear herself out. And when the child finally does, and all the anger and frustration and demandingness have dissipated, then the parent asks, “Are you finished?”
Then the parent holds out their arms toward the toddler for a hug. “Come up here and let’s talk about it.”
Fellowship is restored when the tantrum ends. He hasn’t left me. He is right here watching the tantrum and waiting for me to stop wailing and flailing so we can have a heart-to-heart.
Sometimes the kindness of God is in His silence.
His silence in these situations holds back His discipline as it simultaneously readies His tender mercies to pour forth once we’ve ceased to struggle against Him.
Here are some Psalms that helped me draw near to Him again. If you ever find yourself in tantrum mode, I hope they help you, too:
Psalm 37
Psalm 40
Psalm 138
Psalm 139
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Hi! I'm Abigail, your real-talk Christian life coach and faith mentor. I believe we're on this earth for a reason, and I LOVE helping people realize and live that truth so that they can reach their God-given potential in all areas of life.
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