11 July | Youth
«Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.» Isaiah 59:1
For almost half an hour, that young man spoke on the phone, disappointed with God. While describing his long journey of struggle, he wondered: “If He exists, why doesn’t He listen to me? I have been praying for more than 11 years, and He says nothing. He simply ignores me and does not answer me.” These words highlighted the feelings of a heart totally disappointed with God. His description pictured a God who answered everyone, except that afflicted heart. How can we make someone like that understand that God cares about us? How can we convince a person like this that divine answers do not always come at the time and in the moments that we think are the most favorable? Even more, how can we explain that God’s silence can be the best answer?
We do not always like the truth that silence is also one of the ways God speaks to us. He often remains silent to improve our faith and thus give us a blessing that we would not otherwise receive.
We also have to remember that our timing is not God’s timing. He knows the right time to give us His wise answers. The problem is that no human being can understand the depth of divine thought. For us, however, the reality that God knows the end from the beginning should be enough, especially when we face the silence of Heaven.
Many urgent answers we demand from God would not be a blessing to us. Therefore, He does not respond in our anxious time. When God is silent, that is the best response we could have. His silence makes us seek Him with more intensity and trust in His direction. “Problems” that make us pray more are not problems; they are blessings.
The great truth is that God, in one way or another, always answers us. Do you know why? He always listens to us. Sometimes what we need is to learn to listen to the voice of divine silence. We need to trust and rest in the fact that He is in His holy temple. Therefore, we can be quiet and still, trusting that His justice will prevail in our lives.