GOD SPEAKS IN THE SILENCE

Opening Prayer

Father, through you all blessings flow; your mercy is new every morning. Thank you for the abundant life that is mine in Jesus.

Read PSALM 83

Psalm 83^[a]

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

¹ O God, do not remain silent;
    do not turn a deaf ear,
    do not stand aloof, O God.
² See how your enemies growl,
    how your foes rear their heads.
³ With cunning they conspire against your people;
    they plot against those you cherish.
⁴ “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,
    so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”

⁵ With one mind they plot together;
    they form an alliance against you—
⁶ the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
    of Moab and the Hagrites,
⁷ Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,
    Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
⁸ Even Assyria has joined them
    to reinforce Lot’s descendants.^[b]

⁹ Do to them as you did to Midian,
    as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
¹⁰ who perished at Endor
    and became like dung on the ground.
¹¹ Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
    all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
¹² who said, “Let us take possession
    of the pasturelands of God.”

¹³ Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
    like chaff before the wind.
¹⁴ As fire consumes the forest
    or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
¹⁵ so pursue them with your tempest
    and terrify them with your storm.
¹⁶ Cover their faces with shame, Lord,
    so that they will seek your name.

¹⁷ May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;
    may they perish in disgrace.
¹⁸ Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—
    that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

Footnotes

1. Psalm 83:1 In Hebrew texts 83:1-18 is numbered 83:2-19.
2. Psalm 83:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

Start with a time of total quiet. Allow God’s love and grace to flow through you as you soak in biblical promises today.

Think Further

The heart cry of this psalm is for God to bring a judgment against those who are plotting against Israel. Although Asaph lists some of the historic enemies of Israel, whom he is using to compare with the current threats, the psalm starts with a heart-rending cry. It is here that we can pause and find encouragement. God, the silent one? The deaf one? The aloof one? Can we even say or think such things of the Word, the all-hearing, the ever-present one? Yet here, in this psalm, we can find permission and solace with such a thought.

There have been many times in my life when I have wanted an answer from God. Times when I have felt that many of my personal prayers were being left unanswered. Now I know that God does hear, and that God does answer, even if the answer is ‘no’ or ‘later’—but waiting in silence can be so hard. I am thankful that the psalms are full of examples of people who speak out their frustrated emotions, knowing that God is big enough and gracious enough to take it.

When Elijah was finally given a chance to encounter God, it was in the silence that God spoke.1 Although God can speak to us in the noisy times (‘Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls’),2 there are times when we need to come to a place of quiet, both internally and externally, to hear the voice of the Spirit. Above all, we cling to the promises of God’s Word in the Bible, the promises that God is with us and for us, remembering that it is only through a test that we have a testimony.

Apply

Explore different ways of approaching God in your devotions, perhaps borrowing from other Christian traditions. Expect God to meet you as you draw near in faithfulness.

Closing prayer

God of the past, the present, and the future, help me to trust in your faithfulness, no matter what my circumstances are.

Last Updated on February 25, 2024 by kingstar