"How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?" Psalm 13:1.

Sometimes the silence is deafening. No matter how hard we try or how fervently we pray, it's as if God either isn't there or isn't listening. It's reassuring at such times to know that we aren't' alone in our experience; the so-called giants of the faith have had similar experiences.

We are thankful for King David’s honesty and transparency. This man after God's own heart made no pretense about his spiritual condition. He struggled with the sense that God had forgotten and forsaken him.

Down through the ages numerous writers have alluded to "the dark night of the soul" - periods of time when God seemed completely absent or deaf. Painful as the experiences were they became exercises in faith and patience. And so it was with David: "I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me" Psalm 13:5-6.

The present silence won't last forever. God has actively spoken and intervened in the past and will do so again. This present darkness will give way to rejoicing and singing in the future.

Sometimes all we can do is hold on. It's as if the silence and darkness descend upon us like a great storm, and all we can do is ride it out until the skies clear and the sun shines again. But during those times our faith and patience grow unlike at any other time. And perhaps that's God's purpose in the silence; He trusts our maturity and character enough to remain silent even as we long for His voice and touch.

Perhaps the silence is deafening in your life just now. No matter how hard you try, it seems as if God is either absent or deaf. Be assured that He is there, and that He hears and cares. It is a tribute to your character that He can trust you with His silence as you patiently hold on in faith. But the silence will not last forever. Your greatest times of communion and intimacy with your Father may be just around the corner.

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