Nancy Hughes: Even in the silence

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be
afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

“Mommy, come!” I heard the little voice call. My two-year old son had an answer ready each time I walked in his room and said “What do you need, sweetie?”
A drink. His blankie. A hug. Another hug. Just one more song.

After several evenings of him calling repeatedly and my going to his crib, I knew something had to change. I had tried reminding him with each request that he already had a drink of water and his blankie was in his bed with him; that we had hugged three times and sung two extra songs.

But nothing worked. He continued to repeat “Mommy, come!” again and again and again as soon as I left his room.

My husband and I realized that our son really didn’t need another drink or song or hug. He simply needed to be sure that, in the darkness of the night when he could not see us, we were still close by. So we decided on a nighttime routine.

When it was time for bed, we carried our little one into his bedroom, prayed over him, hugged him and whispered “Night night. Mommy and Daddy are going to bed, too. We love you. See you in the morning,” and smiled as we shut his door.

And, even though it was extremely hard, we did not go back in when we heard that precious voice calling. Of course we were still listening. Of course we peeked into his room after he fell asleep. Of course we were always there, even though he couldn’t see or hear us during the night.

But he needed to learn to trust that, even though we didn’t come the second he called, we would come. And he did.

In the morning, when I heard that sweet “Mommy, come!” I could not wait to open the door and sweep him up in my arms and say “Here I am!” as I covered him with hugs and kisses.

We are a lot like my son, aren’t we? The “darkness” of a job loss or a crisis in marriage or a prodigal child or an illness hits and we panic when our Father does not fix everything immediately when we call.

And the silence? The horrible silence? We often panic and mistake the silence from God as His not caring or hearing and we wrestle with fear of the unknown and discouragement.

But look at today’s Scripture. The Lord tells us that he will always go before us, no matter what journey we are on and he will never – repeat – never leave us. He is there, in the silence, loving us enough to teach us to trust Him with our very lives; knowing that we must learn that His timing is always perfect.

We need to remember that no matter what we are facing, the God of the Universe is still beside us, listening and loving. Even though we don’t see Him. Even though we don’t hear Him.

I encourage you to hold on through the night. That’s when we learn to trust that our Father has not left us. He is near. He is watching over us. Even in the silence.

Father, help me to trust that you will never leave me, whether it’s in the darkest night or light of day. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

Have you ever felt like God was far away and did not hear you when you called on Him?

Were you filled with fear and panic or did you trust the Lord?

Application

Journal and memorize today’s Key Scripture.

When you struggle with fear, say Deuteronomy 31:8 aloud, placing “me” in place of “you” in the Scripture. Then thank Him for His faithfulness.

Power Verses

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV) “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Psalm 116:2 (NIV) “Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”

Psalm 77:2 (NIV) “When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.”

Psalm 147:9 (NIV) “He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.”

(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement from the War Room.)