When Heaven is Silent

WHEN HEAVEN IS SILENT Finding Hope in Our Scars

J o h n

P o w e l l

Thomas, a disciple of Christ, doubted Jesus’ resurrection and proclaimed, “Except I shall see in his hands the prints of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:21).

To Thomas, who often doubted the Savior, only Jesus’ scars could prove to him what nothing else could.

The scars we all carry from life, whether they be upon our bodies, or upon our hearts, are also for a purpose. Only by our scars can others know that we truly understand their suffering and their trials. Only our scars prove to others around us what nothing else can, “See, I’ve been through what you’re going through. God’s grace was sufficient to see me through, and He will see you through too!”

When

heaven isSilent

John Powell Jesus Cares About You From God’s Heart to Your Heart http://www.telacareministry.com

Finding Hope in Our Scars

WHEN

HEAVEN IS SILENT Finding Hope in Our Scars b John R. Powell

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Be not silent to me.

Psalm 28:1

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When Heaven is Silent John R. Powell You are welcome to print this document and distribute freely or post this document on your website as long as it remains unaltered and free of charge.

Special thanks to these authors and leaders for their inspiration and influence: Wayne Jacobsen, Chip Brogden, David Wilkerson, and Max Lucado.

Cover: The Incredulity of St. Thomas by Benjamin West (1738-1820) Jesus Cares About You | Site of TelaCare Ministry From God’s Heart to Your Heart http://www.telacareministry.com You may download a free PDF of this book at http://www.telacareministry.com

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Contents Part 1: When We Question God. . . . . . . . . 1 In the Grip of Grace Come and See Isn’t This the Carpenter?

The Prayer God Always Answers The Cup of Grace Jesus Walks Among the Wounded Examine Yourselves Our Scars have a Purpose What Shall I Do? Handwriting of Ordinances God Will Restore Your Wasted Years Freedom through Forgiveness What’s in Your Bags?

God Knows Your Name Just Another Day Love Letters in the Sand The Silence of the Lions He has Prepared a Table God is Greater than the Noise The Sifting of Your Faith But If Not When Heaven is Silent

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Contents Part 2: When God Questions Us. . . . . . . 53 Why were you looking for me?

I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak to you of heavenly things?

Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth?

Who do you say that I am?

Is a candle brought to be put under a bed, and not to be set on a candlestick?

How many loaves do you have?

Will you also go away?

Why do you call me Lord and don’t do what I say?

Who touched me?

Do you believe that I am able to do this?

Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?

Why do you break the commandment of God because of your traditions?

Do you love me more than these other things?

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This book is humbly dedicated to: My sons, Brandon and Caleb; To my Mom, who continues to show me what it means to be a servant; To all who have ever asked God, “Why?” and to Jesus Christ, in whose name I cast this bread upon the water.

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v i i i • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

When We Question God

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t •

Many are saying of me, “There is no help for him in God.” But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

Psalm 3:2-3

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b In

the

of

G r ip

Grace

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word.

(Psalm 119:67) This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you. I didn’t understand that statement as a child. But now as a parent it makes perfect sense to me. Often, a mother or father has to do things that are painful in order to keep a child from going astray. And so it is with our heavenly Father. David stated in the Psalms that before he was afflicted he went astray. Then again in verse 71 he stated that afflictions also caused him to learn God’s word and laws. God, as our Father, loves us and cares for us so much. And it is because of His love that He occasionally has to let us walk to into a place that might cause us pain, but it is ultimately for our good. He is holding onto us through it all, and will not let us go.

A young Florida boy knows this. One afternoon he went for a swim in the pond behind his home. As he was swimming away from shore, his father saw an alligator coming toward him.

Panic stricken, his father began waving his arms and crying out franticly. He turned and headed back to shore as fast as he could while the alligator closed the distance quickly. Just as he reached the bank, the alligator grabbed his legs and his father grabbed his arms. A tug of war ensued, the alligator driven by hunger, but the father driven by love. His dad won the battle, and rushed to the hospital as quickly as he could.

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A few days later, a newspaper reporter was interviewing the young boy and asked to see his scars. He raised his gown and showed the reporter several deep cuts and gashes on his legs.

“These are from the alligator,” he told him. Then he pointed proudly to the scratches and bruises on his arms. “But these are from my dad who refused to let me go.”

Let me comfort you and assure you that your trials and afflictions are doing a tremendous work in your heart and life. Though you cannot see it or understand it right now our afflictions are caused or allowed by a Father who loves us deeply and who has our best interest at heart. They are caused by a Father who in this spiritual tug-of-war refuses to let us go, and who will not let anyone pluck us out of His hand. What Satan intends for evil, God will use to mold us and shape us into the image of His Son, if we will allow it.

God chastises and corrects those who are in His family. Our afflictions will keep us close to our Father’s heart, and will keep us from going astray. God gives us this precious promise that the work He has begun in us will be continued always until the coming of the Lord. He will never stop moving and working in our lives! Our trials will yield in us the fruit of righteousness and will perfect us and strengthen us.

Our afflictions may be many, but our God will deliver us—not out of just one of them or even a few of them—but He will deliver us out of them all! (Psalm 34:19).

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b

Come

and

See

Nathanael said to Philip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see.” (John 1:46) Nathanael’s question, two thousand years later, is just as relevant today, and has been asked by millions. Perhaps you are asking yourself that same question even now. To you I give the invitation, “Come and see.”

Come and see the Light that persecution and tyranny and oppression have failed to extinguish. Come and see that old rugged cross, still standing proudly and defiantly upon Calvary’s hill. Come and see the Rock that has withstood the winds of time.

Come and see the Anchor still holding sure and fast.

Come and see the untold millions of lives that have been changed. See the guilty forgiven. See the condemned set free.

Come and see broken homes rebuilt and love rekindled.

Experience the wonder of joyous hearts at a graveside. See a body wracked from abuse made whole. See a tear wiped from a wrinkled face. See the blackest of hearts made white as snow.

Come and see the Master encompassed by the throng. Feel His words burning in your heart. Hear His truth without compromise. Listen to grace, pure and free. Feel love, unconditional. See His tomb, empty.

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Journey into the crumbling ruins of humanism and atheism, and see churches and orphanages rising from the ashes. In the heart of China, listen closely for the echoes of underground congregations rising in worship. Across Africa, listen to the drums beating in praise. From within the jungles of the Amazon, hear the tribal voices rising in song to their Redeemer. Across North America and Europe, hear the defiant cries of the remnant who will not bow. Hear the voices of prayer coming from within prison walls, and the sounds of singing coming from death row. Among the crack houses and brothels and fallen humanity littering the inner city streets, see the little mission church rising like a beacon, feeding the hungry, clothing the orphans, sheltering the homeless, and giving hope to replace despair.

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Come and see.

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b

Isn’t this the Carpenter?

Isn’t this the carpenter? (Mark 6:3) Not much is known about our Savior regarding His childhood or early adulthood. The Scriptures are mostly silent. But the few things that are revealed shed some light on what life must have been like for Jesus. We do know His earthly parents were poor, for they offered two turtledoves as a sacrifice in the temple, and this was one of the alternative sacrifices for those who were lacking in money (Luke 2:24; Leviticus 5:7; 15:14).

The question asked by the crowd gathered to hear Jesus in his hometown also reveals much about Jesus’ early life, “Isn’t this the carpenter?” And Matthew records this scene with a different twist, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55). So from this we know that Joseph was a carpenter, and that Jesus as the firstborn son took over the business and support of His family after Joseph’s death.

His hands were rough and calloused from years of making the wood obedient to his skill. His grip was hard, like a vice, the kind of grip that would immediately gain trust from burly fishermen whom He would call to be His disciples. And He no doubt faced many of the fears and problems common to anyone who works and runs a business. Did He deal with irate customers who were unhappy and refused to pay? Did He have to borrow in lean times to keep the business afloat? After a long, bone-weary day

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in the shop, did He have to sit at a desk long hours into the night pouring over the books trying to figure out how to make ends meet? Did He go to the shop on mornings when He didn’t feel well or was just tired, but the pressure of feeding a family forced Him to get out of bed? On some days did He just feel like leaving it all behind? There must be more to life than this!

Like any artisan, Jesus was proud of the products He created, be it a piece of furniture or a wheel or a yoke. He created each piece with great care and attention to detail, and put of little bit of Himself into every project. Some could look at His finished creation and say, “I know who made that.”

In Jesus’ later years, no doubt the carpentry shop began to lose its luster. The calling and urge to go was becoming greater and greater each day. After all, running a carpentry business was not why He was here. Perhaps it even wore on His patience at times, especially when dealing with business problems or unruly clients.

Then the day came when He knew it was finally time. He would visit the carpentry shop one more time to make sure everything was in order for His family to keep the business going. Would He miss it? Of course He would. He would recall fond memories of Himself and Joseph working together on a project. He would think of all the life lessons and stories He learned here. He would pick up the hammer one more time, the handle smooth and worn from years of use. He would pick up a spike and gently press the point into His hand. What will it feel like? And then He would walk out the door for the last time into the sunlit street and never look back.

Before He was a carpenter on earth, He was the architect and carpenter of the universe. The strong rough hands that shaped wood forged a planet, flung the stars into space, put thunder into the hoofbeats of the horse, and put a song in the sparrow’s throat.

Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Colosse, “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth.” (Colossians

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1:15). The apostle John added in his gospel, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3).

And after His earthly ministry was fulfilled, Jesus traded in His hammer and saw for a golden sceptre. Now He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Jesus is preparing a place for us, and He has promised to come again and receive us that we may be where He is (John 14:1-3). He is building a church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. He is building up our faith, shaping each one of us into His image, and piecing us together to form a church without spot or wrinkle. We are His building, and we are laborers together with Him in the construction upon the foundation which Jesus has laid (1 Corinthians 3:6-13). And He will personally inspect and test our work to see if it can stand the test of time.

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Out of the depths have I cried unto thee.

Psalm 130:1

Why so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5-6

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

Psalm 22:1

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b

T h e P r ay e r G o d A lway s A n s w e r s

Jesus’ time was drawing to an end. There would be no more opportunities to teach the multitudes about His Father’s kingdom. No more opportunities to hold a child in His hands or to caress the fevered brow of the sick. No more opportunities to just simply sit around the table with friends and simply talk of His Father’s wonders.

Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate His final Passover, the time for which He had come, where He would become the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. He stood on the threshold of the greatest act of love our world would ever know. He was only hours away from yielding Himself to those who sought to kill Him, and His heart was deeply troubled.

What would He do? Would He trust His Father completely and continue on the journey, or would He cut it short in a moment of weakness and beckon the angels to deliver Him? Jesus used this moment to teach His disciples a powerful lesson about prayer.

He began by asking them a question, “What shall I say? Father, save me from this hour?” (John 12:27) I can just see the nodding of heads around the circle as they agree in unison on this plan. After all, they had all tried unsuccessfully on several occasions to talk Jesus out of going to Jerusalem.

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Maybe He was finally seeing it their way. And this is how we usually pray. In moments of trial and severe pain, it is natural, whether you are a believer or not, to cry out for help, to cry out for God to save you.

But, when the trial becomes almost unbearable, when all hope has seemed to fade, when even your very life is at stake, Jesus wanted to show there is a better way to pray. “For this reason I came to this hour,” He stated. He did not want to look at the situation as man sees it, but as God sees it. He didn’t want His will, but God’s will. Putting His own personal wants aside, He was focused on a higher purpose that transcended His personal happiness and desires.

Then He prayed the prayer that God always answers. He prayed the prayer He wanted His disciples, and you, to hear: “Father, glorify your name.”

In this brief exchange, Jesus taught us everything we need to know about prayer and what it means to follow Him. For every trial, for every situation, we will always have two options in prayer. We can pray, “Father, deliver me.” Or we can pray, “Father, glorify Your name.”

One will lead you to frustration and disillusionment, but the other will lead you to the greatest wonders of God’s heart.

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b The Cup of Grace

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. (Luke 6:36-38) They were from opposite sides of the tracks, these two people.

Different lives, different circumstances, different choices, different worlds. Simon was a religious leader of Israel. She, a nameless woman, was a prostitute. He was looked up to. She was looked down upon. He followed the rules. She broke them.

And this evening, Simon is throwing a dinner party for Jesus.

And she is going to crash it. For they both did have one thing in common. They both wanted to meet Jesus.

Simon, as it turns out, was not a very good party host. He did not offer Jesus a kiss of greeting. He did not wash His feet, nor anoint His head with oil. This was nothing unusual really, just the customary greetings. In today’s language, the passage would have probably read, “You did not take my coat. You did not shake my hand. You did not offer me a seat nor offer me a drink.”

But the nameless woman done everything Simon could have— no—should have done. All eyes gazing upon her with contempt

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for her sudden intrusion, she has so much to say, but the words go unspoken. Trembling, all she can do is just stand there and weep. Kneeling and taking His feet gently in her hands, she has no water, but she does have tears. She has no towel, but she does have her hair. And she takes an alabaster jar of fragrant oil, possibly her only possession of any value, and massages it into His skin as its sweet fragrance fills the room.

So, why didn’t Simon do this? What’s the difference between him and the nameless woman? When the Savior hands him the cup of grace, Simon takes a sip. He swishes it around in his mouth.

He analyzes it. You see, he has come to Jesus only for a taste test.

He has come to kick the tires and look under the hood and take a test drive. He doesn’t think he needs forgiveness. After all, he is a church leader. He would much rather debate grace, but request it? Never.

But when Jesus hands the cup of grace to the woman, she doesn’t just take a sip. No, she takes the cup eagerly, with the wide eyes and excitement of a child receiving their first Christmas gift.

She turns the goblet up and gulps and swallows like the parched sinner that she is, and grace flows over the sides of the cup and down her neck and chest until every inch of her hardened heart is covered and every stain is washed clean.

What’s the final difference between Simon and the woman? While Simon has very little love to offer, she has an abundance of love to give. Why? Jesus explains: “Her sins—and they are many,” He states, “have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”

I invite you to come to Jesus today. Not to debate. Not to analyze.

But to just simply accept Him and His forgiveness. Take the cup He offers you. Come thirsty, and drink deeply.

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b Jesus Walks Among the Wounded

The grand opening of the new maternity wing at the hospital where I worked brought with it a day filled with celebration, music and feasting, long-winded speeches, and great promises of hope for the community’s future.

But, just a few feet away from this scene of celebration, lay my nephew in a hospital bed suffering from leukemia and the effects of chemotherapy. A horseshoe of family encompassed his bed, some weeping, others trying to be strong. Ironic, isn’t it, that a scene of grand celebration could be found so close to a scene of suffering.

If you could picture in your mind a battlefield covered with wounded, this would depict the scene found at Bethesda, a pool near the sheep market in Jerusalem. The streets of the city were bustling, pilgrims rubbing shoulder to shoulder, as they flooded into the city for the Passover feast. So close to this grand celebration was a scene of suffering, the pool of Bethesda surrounded with “a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered.” (John 5:2-3).

On the outskirts of this scene, you will not find any disciples. You will not see any of Jesus’ followers. You will not even see any of the “religious” crowd. No, they are too busy with their “religious” activities. You will see only Jesus, alone, walking among them.

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Indifference. A scene of suffering so close to a scene of celebration—a religious celebration mind you. Churches today are filled with people singing, rejoicing and worshiping with hands lifted in praise. While next to them may sit people who are depressed, lonely, sick, and suffering. Every week they come, and every week they leave, leave in the same condition they came.

Every church has a pool of Bethesda. If your church is indifferent and neglectful of its suffering members, don’t be surprised to learn Jesus isn’t walking among your worshippers, but is instead walking among your wounded.

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Examine

b Y o u r s e lv e s

Paul was a young zealot, “a Hebrew of the Hebrews”, he called himself. He was intent on keeping Israel’s faith pure, and that meant wiping out the scourge of Christianity. So, Paul marched around the countryside, going from house to house, searching for anyone who claimed to follow Jesus. His gunbelt was full of notches, and Paul was proud of his labor for his faith (Read Acts 8:3; 9:1-5; Philippians 3:4-7).

Until one day, while in route to Damascus with more orders in one hand and a sword in the other, Saul was stopped in his tracks by a bright light and a voice from heaven like thunder, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” Saul, trembling and astonished, picked himself up from the ground, and the men who were with him led him by the hand to Damascus. For the next three days, Saul was without his eyesight.

Not able to look at anything else, he was forced to look inside himself, and he did not like what he saw.

“I doubt if you can find any one out there who had more confidence in his own flesh that I did,” he would later say to the church at Philippi. “I followed the law to the letter like a Pharisee.

I labored for my faith and persecuted the church. I was righteous and blameless.”

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Give a man religion without showing him his sin, and the result is Saul. Blameless in following the rules and keeping the traditions, he is arrogant and tells other how to live. However, show a man his sin and show him Jesus too, and the result is Saul-becomePaul who turned the world upside down.

“I want to be found in Jesus,” Paul said, “not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. I want to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. I want to be made conformable unto His death. I want to forget all those things about me; I want to forget the old Saul. Now, I want to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!”

This same Paul who looked inward for three days in Damascus, now exhorts us to examine ourslelves also. To the Corinthians, he penned, “Check up on yourselves. Are you really Christians? Do you pass the test? Do you feel Christ’s presence and power more and more within you? Or are you just pretending to be Christians when actually you aren’t at all?” (2 Corinthians 13:5 TLB).

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b O u r S c a r s h av e a Purpose

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Have you ever thought or imagined what our new bodies will be like when we reach Heaven? Will we look the same as we do now, except without any flaws? (we might need nametags). Will we carry the scars from our life on earth as a gentle reminder of God’s redemption? I do not know. But I do know that for forty days after Jesus’ resurrection, He still carried His scars. And they were for a purpose.

Thomas, a disciple of Christ, doubted Jesus’ resurrection and proclaimed, “Except I shall see in his hands the prints of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25).

To Thomas, who often doubted the Savior, only Jesus’ scars could prove to him what nothing else could.

The scars we all carry from life, whether they be upon our bodies, or upon our hearts, are also for a purpose. Only by our scars can others know that we truly understand their suffering and their trials. Only our scars prove to others around us what nothing else can, “See, I’ve been through what you’re going through.

God’s grace was sufficient to see me through, and He will see you through too.”

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He cannot heal who has not suffered much, For only Sorrow sorrow understands; They will not come for healing at our touch Who have not seen the scars upon our hands.

He cannot heal who has not suffered much, For only Sorrow sorrow understands; They will not come for healing at our touch I cry aloud to the Lord; Who have not seen the scars upon our hands.

I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.

I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.

When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way.

In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me.

Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me.

I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.

I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.

Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name.

Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.

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Psalm 142

b W h at S h a l l I D o ?

And when (Jesus) was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. (Mark 10:17-20).

All of your life, you have been rewarded by performance. As a child, you were rewarded with good grades for studying hard.

You were given an allowance for doing your chores faithfully. And as you grew, the tasks grew more challenging, and the rewards grew larger. Working hard at a job brought you a good salary, and perhaps a bonus or promotion. With your salary, you got the things many people dream of: a nice house in an affluent subdivision, a foreign sportscar, designer clothes, and a country club membership.

So why should religion be any different? Working hard at keeping the commandments or just being good should bring some kind of reward, right? This is what the rich young ruler thought. He comes running to Christ, “Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? I have kept all the commandments since I was a boy!”

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Oh really? Perhaps the young man really thought he had kept the commandments. Even so, he still needed more assurance and wondered if there was something extra he should do. You can’t be too careful. I mean, how good is good enough, right?

But Jesus knew better, and to show the young man that it is impossible to earn eternal life with our own efforts, Jesus gave him another task, “Go, sell all you have and give it to the poor, and then take up the cross and follow me.” Saddened, the young man turned and walked away to an unknown fate.

God does not save us because of any thing which we do. We are not saved by our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Only an egotistical God could be bought with our tithes and impressed by our suffering. Only a cruel and heartless God would sell salvation to the highest bidders. But a great God does for His children what they cannot do for themselves.

Those who are broken no longer demand their rights.

They just realize they never had any.

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b Handwriting of Ordinances

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

(Colossians 2:13-15).

Go back in time with me to Calvary just for a few minutes.

Soldiers push Jesus to the ground and stretch out His arms upon the rough timber. Another soldier presses a knee against His forearm and a cold spike against His hand.

But before the mallet strikes the nail, think of this hand. It looks like the hand of a man, the rough, calloused hand of a carpenter.

His outstretched hand calmed an angry sea, healed a blinded eye, and cleansed a temple.

But it is also the hand of God. This hand established the ocean’s boundaries, carved majestic peaks, flung the stars into space, and put a song in the sparrow’s throat. It delivered the nation of Israel from Egypt and opened the Red Sea. This hand sent a raven to feed Elijah, a fish to interrupt Jonah’s getaway, and fingered a message of judgment on the wall of Nebuchadnezzer’s palace.

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The sound of a mallet striking the spike rings through the country-side, fastening the Savior’s hand to the beam. But between His hand and the beam is a list, a list of laws and ordinances, a list of do’s and don’t’s which we have miserably failed to keep. And as His blood begins to rush from His pierced hand, it flows down the list, covering each broken law and each broken commandment.

Paul penned, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”. (Romans 8:1). You see, if you are in Christ, there is no need to feel guilty, or to feel condemned. As the Phillips translations reads Colossians 2:13-14, “He has forgiven you all your sins: he has utterly wiped out the written evidence of broken commandments which always hung over our heads, and has completely annulled it by nailing it to the cross.”

No more trying helplessly to follow rules. No more trying to adhere to a church’s rituals or man’s traditions. Like a little girl counting the petals on a daisy, no more wondering if God loves me or loves me not based on what you have or have not done, nor based on what disaster or miracle happened in your life today.

It is no longer about religion, but is now about a relationship. It is no longer about waking up and trying to find a way to make God love you. But it is now about waking up and facing each day, knowing and living in the fact that you are, and will always be, His beloved.

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.

(Song of Solomon 6:3)

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God

b Will Restore Your Wasted Years

I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten... And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. (Joel 2:25-26) I often look at my life, present and past, and I am filled with regrets, whether warranted or not. “What if?” has often been my anthem. Tears of disillusion and disappointment have been my constant companion. I’m sure many of you know this feeling, and it is a load too heavy to bear. It is a burden today’s grace was never meant to carry. The wrong major chosen. A marriage failed. A job unfulfilling. Bankruptcy. Failure at every turn. A life unsatisfying. Children not walking in truth. The left path chosen when I should have went right. Like the prodigal son, I’ve wasted years of my life in the pig pen, both as a non-believer and a believer, when I could have been feasting at the Master’s table (Luke 11:11-32). Notice too that the locusts didn’t take away huge chunks of my life, but they took away little pieces here and there, until one day I woke up and realized how much had been stolen.

But in God’s word, we have a promise, not just for forgiveness, but for restoration of the years we have wasted! This promise is incredible! Instead of us making up the years to God, God said He would make up the years to us!

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“You shall eat in plenty,” God’s promise states. “I will deal wondrously with you, and you shall be satisfied! You shall praise my name! You shall never be ashamed!”

The armor of God only covers our front. It does not cover our back (Ephesians 6:10-18). Why? Because it is not designed for someone who is running away, but for someone who is pressing forward. It is not designed for someone living in defeat, but for someone looking to achieve victory. There is a reason Jesus called the experience of salvation and repentance being born again. He wants it to be as if we’ve just been born. There is no past, only future.

You do not need to be ashamed of the years you have wasted.

God did not intend for you to live in the past. He did not intend for you to spend your years wondering what could have been, or regretting what you did or didn’t do. He can bring glory to His name by rising you up from the ashes of defeat and restoring to you a life filled with victory. He can make you satisfied and give you fulfillment! He can make all things new!

This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are ahead, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 3:13-14)

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b Freedom Through F o r gi v e n e s s

He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted...to set at liberty them that are bruised. (Luke 4:18) Maybe your wound is fresh. Or perhaps it is old. A family member abused you. A spouse was unfaithful to you. A friend betrayed you. A co-worker used you for a stepping stone.

Someone you trusted has let you down.

You are hurting. And you are angry...

at life...

at people...

at God.

But not only are you hurting, you are bitter. Part of you wants to cry, but the other part of you wants to fight back. Part of you wants to get over it, but the other part wants to get even. It is no wonder that the writer of Hebrews penned, “Looking diligently... lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” (Hebrews 12:15).

It seems strange, when you think about it, that Jesus said He came to set at liberty them that are bruised. People who are bruised need healing. But freedom?

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Could it be because many people who have been bruised and broken in heart have become bitter, their minds consumed with anger, trapped in a desire for revenge? This is why Jesus taught, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.� (Matthew 5:44).

You see, the act of forgiveness is probably more important to the one forgiving, than to the one needing forgiveness. With forgiveness comes freedom. Without forgiveness, bitterness is all that is left.

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b W h at ’ s I n Your Bags?

Let us lay aside every weight. (Hebrews 12:1) An airport is a great place to go people watching. As you watch the sea of people bustling about, you’ll notice that almost everyone has a bag or suitcase. Some people have only a small bag strapped to their shoulder, some drag a suitcase behind them, and some have so many bags they need a cart to carry them all.

I suppose that if you could look at the world around us through spiritual eyes, if you could see the things which are invisible and hidden from view, you would see a scene very similar to an airport. Whether in your neighborhood, in the office, at church, at the mall, or wherever you go, you would see people dragging baggage behind them. You might be surprised to learn that some of your friends even carry a bag or two.

What is in the bags you ask?

Over there is a woman smartly dressed in a business suit. She cheated on her husband, a cheap one-night stand, while away on business trip, and the guilt is about to tear her apart. She wants to tell her husband so badly, but she’s afraid. So she tucks the guilt into her suitcase and carries it around with her.

Over here is a young Bible college student. He’s popular and looked up to, but no one knows his secret life, spending hours alone in his dorm room viewing pornography. No one knows

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 2 9

how many times he’s cried himself to sleep at night, wishing he could stop. How can God forgive me of my lust? I’m so dirty and ashamed. So instead of going to God with his sin, he stuffs it in his bag and carries it around with him.

And over here is a middle-aged man with graying hair. In his bag is a life-long collection of regrets and failures, his back bowed from carrying such a heavy burden for so long. He married the wrong person. Chose the wrong major. Got involved with the wrong people. Accepted the wrong job. Turned right instead of left. Life now seems to offer nothing but dead ends and there’s nowhere to turn.

And what about you? Do you have a bag or two that you drag around with you? What’s in your bag? What is it that you refuse to let go of? Is it anger? Bitterness? Lust? Guilt? Regrets?

Disappointments? Failures? Questions?

You don’t have to carry around that bag anymore. “Come to me,” Jesus extends the invitation. “All of you who are weary and burdened, come to me and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus dared to look into the leathery faces of farmers and fishermen and offer them rest. He looked into the lonely eyes of a prostitute and the cynical eyes of a zealot and the disallusioned eyes of a religious leader and made this promise, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29). They came out of their homes and businesses and synagogues and brought Him their burdens, and Jesus gave them not religion, not doctrine, not systems, but rest.

Are you weary from carrying your burden? Bring it to Jesus. It is no small wonder that Calvary was located on the old garbage dump of Jerusalem. It is the place to bring your trash, your refuse, those things you are tired of holding on to. Come and lay your bags at the foot of the cross. You have everything to lose, and everything to gain.

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b God Knows Your Name

The Lord knows those who belong to Him. (2 Timothy 2:19) There are some people in your life, be they family or friends, that you know very intimately. You know what they are thinking. You can tell when something is wrong or when something is troubling their mind. They don’t have to say a word. Just a parting glance speaks volumes.

You see, God knows you the same way. He knows those who belong to Him. He sees your heart, and knows your thoughts.

He sees every temptation and every trial. He understands your heartaches and bottles every tear. He knows you, as the old expression states, like the back of His hand. And rightly so, for you see, He has carved your name right there on His hand (Isaiah 49:16).

Such a wondrous thought, isn’t it? Your name has been carved on God’s hand. Think of all of the places your name has been written. On the Dean’s List. On a marriage license. On a diploma.

On a gift certificate. On a paycheck. And then perhaps it has been written on some places we wish we could forget. A speeding ticket. Divorce papers. A tax audit.

There are many places your name will be written that will come and go, that will be erased and replaced, or put away and

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forgotten. Like Israel, you may feel at times that God has forsaken and forgotten you (Isaiah 49:14). But just as God gave assurance to Israel that He had not forgotten them, He wants to give you assurance as well. After all, how can you forget about something that’s carved on your hand?

Mark it down. There is one place that your name will always be written and that is on God’s hand. And to make sure you always remember and never forget, He had your name nailed in place.

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:28)

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b J u s t A n o t h e r D ay . . .

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

(Galatians 4:4-5) Crowds pour into Bethlehem, swarming every inn and hotel, as they prepare for the Census decreed by Caesar. Pilgrims rub shoulder to shoulder, filling the streets, stirring this normally sleepy little town into an anthill of activity. Still, amid such chaos, life pretty much carries on as usual. It is just like any other typical evening.

Over there, in the synagogue, a couple exchanges vows as they begin a new life together. Over here, a boy passes the age into manhood as his family celebrates. In the marketplace, merchants buy and sell, while shoppers fill the streets eager to spend what the Romans haven’t taxed. Tucked away in a modest house, a woman prepares the evening meal as her husband and children play together in the living room.

And just outside the city on a Judean hillside, a mother groans with the pangs of childbirth.

The delivery room is a stable, bathed in the glow from a strange star. The midwife is her husband. Nurses and doctors are replaced with cattle and sheep. And the crib is replaced with a feeding trough filled with hay.

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Surrounded by a horseshoe of farm animals and wide-eyed shepherds, God has quietly come.

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,” the prophet Isaiah penned, “and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

God with us. Think about that statement.

Amid the chaos and uncertainty of life, with its failures and heartaches, God speaks to you today so clearly just as He did almost two thousand years ago, “Don’t worry, I’m here.

Everything will be alright.”

That night when in Judean skies The mystic star dispensed its light, A blind man moved in his sleep, And dreamed he had his sight.

That night shepherds heard the song Of host angelic choiring near, A deaf man stood in slumber still, And dreamed that he could hear.

That night when in cattle stall Slept Child and mother cheek to jowl, A cripple turned his crippled limbs, And dreamed that he was whole.

That night when to the mother’s breast The little King was held secure, A harlot slept a happy sleep, And dreamed that she was pure.

That night when in the manger lay The Son of God who came to save, A man moved in the sleep of death, And dreamed there was no grave.

3 4 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Love Letters the Sand

in

She longed for love. To the nameless woman in the eighth chapter of the Book of John, love was fleeting, always escaping her grasp, like trying to catch the wind. “Perhaps, this time, with this man, things will turn out different”, she thinks. Suddenly, the door flies open, banging against the wall. Several men, dressed in priestly garments, come bursting into the room and drag her out of bed into the street.

Sitting in the temple, Jesus is teaching the people when a sudden commotion outside causes all heads to turn. It’s the group of Pharisees, shadowed by an angry mob, dragging the woman caught in the act of adultery. These men do not really care about the woman. To them, she is just simply bait to trap Jesus.

“The law says we should stone her,” their voices cry in unison, attaching the bait to the hook, “But what do you say?” Jesus acts as if He does not hear them and casually writes in the sand with His finger (John 8:6). Then they ask again, “What do you say? Tell us Master. What should we do with her?” Weary of their continued questioning, Jesus finally lifts Himself up and speaks, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.”

What follows is an awkward, deafening silence. Eyes glance around. Heads look downward. A throat clears. Feet shuffle.

Finally, somewhere in the mob, a white-knuckled grip releases a

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 3 5

stone and it falls to the ground with a thud, breaking the silence.

Then another. Then another. In unison the group had come, but now they turn and depart one at a time. As the last accuser leaves, what is left behind looks like a miniature graveyard, a field of stones each marking the place where grace won the victory over the arrogance and self-righteousness of religion.

Jesus turns to face the woman, “Where are your accusers? Is there anyone here to condemn you?” Her body trembling in fear, the nameless woman’s voice breaks as she lifts her head to look around. “No one, Lord.”

“Neither do I condemn you,” Jesus speaks. “Go, and sin no more.”

What Jesus fingered that day in the sand was an essay on love and a silent rebuke against man’s arrogance and self-righteousness.

Just a few days later, He would write another essay in the sand, this time loudly written in crimson. Each drop of blood which would fall from His wounds and splash upon the ground would be yet another essay on love, and a rebuke against religious arrogance.

So don’t think it’s the nails which fasten Him in place on the cross. No, it’s love which holds Him there. And what Jesus spells out so plainly on the cross is the same message, “I do not condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

3 6 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b The Silence the Lions

of

My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me. (Daniel 6:22) The impatient lions had not eaten in days and were starving. Suddenly, a scent in the air and a noise outside the den captures their attention. Looking up, the lions see their next meal dangling over the edge. Daniel.

There is a loud thud and groan as Daniel hits the floor of the cave, and the little shaft of light slowly disappears as the guards roll a stone over the entrance to seal his tomb. The lions immediately move in for the kill. They circle. They size up their prey.

They joust over who goes first. They growl and roar, and paw the dirt. And then something marvelous happens. Just before the lions were about to pounce, God sends an angel down into the cave and shuts the lions’ mouths!

Notice that the angel did not grab Daniel and pull him out of the cave. No, the angel left Daniel in the cave with the lions where he stayed all night. The lions found themselves muzzled. They circled. They stalked. Their stomachs growled, but they could not.

They were powerless to do anything against Daniel.

You see, the trial you are facing now is determined by God to last a certain amount of time, and He has drawn a line in the sand marking how far the enemy may come against you and what he

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can do to you. God is allowing that trial in your life, whatever it may be, to perform a wonderful work in you that will bring you forth as pure gold. He wants to do something marvelous in your heart, to cause you to grow in faith, and to perfect you.

Peter instructed us in his first epistle to cast all of our care upon Jesus, for He cares for us. Be sober. Be vigilant. Why? Peter says, “Because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:8). After you have suffered a while, Peter says, the God of all grace will make you perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you (1 Peter 5:10).

God did not say He would pull us out of the fire. But He did promise that we would not be burned while we walked through the fire. God did not promise that He would pull us out of the depths. But He did promise that He would be with us when we pass through the waters (Isaiah 43:2).

And like Paul, God may not remove our problems from us immediately, though we may cry out and pray over and over (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). But He did promise that His grace would be sufficient. We may still have to spend the night in a dark cave watching the lions circle us, be we can rejoice in knowing that God has shut their mouths! They cannot harm us!

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b H e h a s P r e pa r e d Table for You

a

You prepare a table before me. (Psalm 23:5) Other than John 3:16, there is probably no scripture in the Bible more loved and quoted than Psalm 23. It’s been recited by dying men in their last moments on the battlefied, scribbled on the walls of prison cells, and framed and hung in hospital hallways.

It’s words are precious to millions of people, even to those who do not claim to be religious.

Buried within its lines we find a precious nugget of truth.

You prepare a table before me.

This verse might not seem so special at first glance, unless you know a little about the life of a shepherd in biblical times. Judea is a semi-arid region with rocky desert-like terrain. Any patch of green pasture found along the countryside would have been the work of a shepherd.

The shepherd would cultivate the hard soil, tear out the thorny underbrush, dig up rocks and remove stumps. Then he would plant seeds and irrigate the land until it became a lush green pasture. He would maintain his field every season, reseeding, removing poisonous plants, filling holes, and removing snakes.

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When our Shepherd tells us He has prepared a table before us, He is saying, “I will not lead you somewhere where I have not already been. I will not lead you to a place where I have not already prepared the way.”

When Jesus leads us to the table He has prepared, when He makes us lie down in green pastures, He is saying, “Come and enjoy my finished work. There is nothing you need to do. Just come and rest. Come, and enter into the joy of the Lord.”

And for you, the weary pilgrim passing through, doesn’t that place of rest sound glorious?

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b G o d i s G r e at e r than the Noise

The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. (Psalm 93:3) When my second son was born, he was placed in the intensive care unit within a couple of hours after birth. He had developed a hole in one lung, and then later, the other lung. After about a week in the neo-natal ICU, he seemed to be recovering well. The doctors had taken him off the respirator and he was breathing normally. They had taken the tubes out of his chest. My hopes and spirits were lifted that he would be coming home soon.

Then suddenly one afternoon, his abdomen began filling with fluid. He was dehydrating and fast approaching death unless emergency surgery could be performed. I was overwhelmed!

Where once there was hope and faith, suddenly there was despair!

The enemy had come in like a flood!

Not only did the flood come in, it also lifted up its voice. “God doesn’t care!”, the flood’s voice declared. It screamed at me, “Your baby is going to die! There’s no use! You might as well give up!”

Perhaps the flood you are enduring now is screaming these same words at you. Your trial may be different, but the voice is always the same, “Give up! God doesn’t care! There’s no hope! There’s no use in going on!”

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Listen my friends. I have good news for you. Sometimes the noise of a storm is more terrifying than the storm itself. The floods may lift up their voices, and they may make a lot of noise, but “The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.” (Psalm 93:4). Hallelujah!

4 2 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b The Sifting of Your Faith

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” (Luke 22:31-32) Please don’t be hard on Peter. He boasted that he was both ready to go to prison and to death for Jesus. And Peter was. In the garden where Jesus and his disciples were surrounded by temple guards, Peter drew a sword and cut off the high priest’s servant’s right ear. Surrounded, in the midst of a hopeless situation, Peter grabbed a sword and charged into the circle of guards!

That is not the action of someone who is a coward, is it?

But the battle coming soon is very different. It is not physical, but spiritual. It is not a test of courage, but a test of faith.

Jesus warned Peter, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times you even know Me. Satan wants you Peter. He wants to sift you as wheat. But I’m praying for you Peter that your faith won’t fail.”

It wasn’t that Peter was afraid of someone finding out he was with Jesus. No, it was that things were not turning out the way he had dreamed. “Jesus arrested? Our Messiah to suffer and die?

I’m not sure if He really is who He says He is. I’m not sure I know Him anymore.”

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Jesus did not pray that Peter’s courage would not fail, but that his faith would not fail.

It happened just as Jesus said. After Peter’s third denial, somewhere in the darkness a rooster flapped his wings and crowed an indictment against him. Peter turned and looked straight into the eyes of Jesus (Luke 22:61-62).

Was it a look of “I told you so. How could you do it to me?” I don’t think so. It was a look of pity, of sympathy. Jesus went through forty days of sifting by Satan. He knew how ruthless the enemy can be, and He understood what Peter was enduring.

Peter turned and ran away into the night, tears stinging his eyes.

All night he wept bitterly. “Why did I do it? Why didn’t I stand for Him? How could I have doubted Him?” Satan was sifting Peter as wheat, beating the grain with a stick until the outer husk was broken, leaving only the kernel of faith within.

But, Satan couldn’t touch that kernel of faith, for Jesus said, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.”

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But

b If Not...

You’ve probably heard the story since childhood of the three men thrown into the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Refusing to obey the king’s decree and bow down before idols, the three young men were bound and brought before King Nebuchadnezzar. I want you to focus on what they said.

“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us” (Daniel 3:17).

“But if not, we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

Read it again.

“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us. But if not...”

But if not.

Let’s turn the focus now to you. What about your trial, your illness, your situation, your trouble? You’ve prayed and prayed, and have tried so hard to put it all into God’s hands. But what if He never answers your prayers? What if you go to your grave never seeing God move in your trial? What if you boasted like the three men, “My God can deliver me! He can meet my need! He can answer my prayer! But if not...” How would you complete the sentence?

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 45

Perhaps no human never suffered so much for so long than did Job. He lost his children, his possessions, and his health, all within a matter of minutes. But, he never lost his faith, for Satan could not take that away from him. Job was still able to look with all confidence toward Heaven and proclaim, “Though He slay Me, yet will I trust Him!” (Job 13:15).

The apostle Paul was burdened with, as he describes it, “a thorn in the flesh” to torment him. This man of great faith prayed and asked God on three occasions to remove the thorn. But instead of God moving in his trial and removing the thorn, God instead done a marvelous work in Paul’s heart through the thorn. Jesus wanted Paul to learn His grace was sufficient to see him through his trial. Paul’s response? “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The prophet Habakkuk in his little book opened with this lament, “O Jehovah, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear!”

Habakkuk was questioning God, “Why do you tolerate the wicked?

Why do you let them swallow up the righteous?” But Habakkuk closed his book with these words, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in Jehovah, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 1:2; 3:17-18).

My God can heal. He can deliver. He can answer my prayer. He can meet my need.

But if not...

I will trust in Him. I will boast in Him. I will rejoice in Him. I will not bow.

46 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b W h e n H e av e n is Silent

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.

In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. (John 5:1-9) Have you ever asked God, “Why?” Out of the blue, with no sign of warning, my wife said those most painful words to me, “I want a divorce.” Within a few seconds, my world began crumbling all around me. Perhaps I received just a little taste of what Job must have felt when he too was hit suddenly with calamities from all sides.

I was devastated, and felt as if my guts had been ripped out (forgive my crudeness). The next few months were very difficult.

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I tried everything I knew to do to try and save our marriage, but every effort I made was rejected.

I often thought during this time that if my wife had died suddenly in an accident, I could have taken it much better. I would be able to see her laying in a coffin. I would see her body being lowered into the ground. It would be final—over—and I would have that sense of closure. When I would tell people this, they would not understand and would look at me as if I had lost my mind.

But as I talked with others who experienced similar situations in their divorces, I found out I was not alone. They too experienced these same emotions. I was experiencing the same feelings as if my wife had suddenly died. But yet she was not dead. It was as if a glass wall had suddenly been put up between us. I could see her on the other side—laughing, loving, living. And I would pound on the wall with my fists and scream out her name. I would kick against the wall. I would try everything I know to do to bring her back to my side of the wall, but all of my efforts would fail.

Some of you reading this may understand what I am feebly trying to express.

During these past few months, I’ve asked God a thousand times, “Why? Why did this have to happen? I pray and fast, but she seems to be growing more distant. Others are praying with me, but nothing is happening. Why?” I watched as my oldest boy, who at the time was 8 years old, would begin to cry and ask me why this has happened, and why things couldn’t go back the way they were. Here my son was asking his father, “Why?” Was this what it was like as I prayed to my Heavenly Father and asked Him, “Why?” While there was no answer I could give my son, my Heavenly Father could save my marriage.

He could heal this situation. Yet, nothing was happening. And again I would ask, “Why?” Other marriages have been healed and restored. But He did not save my marriage. “Why?”

4 8 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

You’ve probably asked the same questions many times in your life.

“Why did my spouse leave me? Everything seemed so perfect!”

“Why did I lose my job? I’m a Christian and I trust God, but my unsaved co-workers didn’t lose their jobs!”

“Why can’t I find someone to love me? I’m so lonely?”

“Why did she have to get sick and die? She loved God, but God didn’t heal her. She suffered so much. Why?” “Why did God answer his prayer and heal him, but He won’t heal me? Why?” The Pool at Bethesda By now, you may be asking what all this has to do with the scripture reading at the beginning of this chapter. Look closely at this verse again. There was “a great multitude” of sick and hurting people gathered around this pool. Compound this with pilgrims flooding into Jerusalem for the Passover and you can just about guarantee that there were several hundred, perhaps thousands of people gathered around this pool. If you could picture in your mind a battlefield covered with wounded, this would describe the scene at the pool of Bethesda.

Here, Jesus healed a man which had been sick for thirty-eight years. This was a great miracle indeed. I’ve heard sermon after sermon about this man who was healed, sermons intended to build our faith and give us hope that God hears and will answer our prayers. But, I want to focus your attention on the thousands of people that left the poolside that day—left just as they came— with no answer, still sick, still suffering, still waiting.

I thank God for every prayer He has answered, for everything He has done for me. Yet, many prayers have gone unanswered. Many

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 4 9

times Heaven is silent. My prayers bounce off the ceiling, it seems like, right back into my face.

“Why are You silent, Lord? Why don’t You answer? You said You will stick closer than a brother. But, You seem to be a million miles away. You said if an earthly father desires to provide for and please his children, how much more do You! Yet, I don’t see You moving!”

I wish somewhere in this message I could give you the answer to “Why?” I wish I could open your eyes of understanding and answer every question troubling your heart. I know that sometimes we suffer because of bad decisions we have made along the way. But, sometimes, we’re innocent, we’ve done nothing, and out of the blue, we’re struck with calamity.

As Jesus and His disciples passed a blind man, they asked Him (John 9:1-3), “Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” You see, your questions aren’t new. The disciples see a blind man and in unison they question Christ, “Why did this happen to him?” Two thousand years ago, your questions were being asked. Jesus replied, “He didn’t sin, his parents didn’t sin. It’s so that God’s works can be manifested in him. He was born blind, but you’re going to see My power today! I’m going to heal him!”

God Still Moves Stones Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands

5 0 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” (John 11:38-44) You’ve been hurt so bad. At times, the pain in your heart and the torment in your mind has been almost unbearable. So, you’ve done what you could to survive. You’ve buried it, and have declared to the world that this part of your life is over. “If God had showed up, if He had been here, none of this would have happened! God has let me down!” And now, you’ve rolled a stone in front of the tomb, heavy enough that no one or nothing can get past it. “What’s behind that stone stinks! Don’t touch that stone!”

You see, I’ve been at this place myself, and I know how you feel. After my wife left me and sued for divorce, I threw the accusations and questions hard at God. “I prayed for You to give me a helpmate, so that I would never know about divorce or a broken home, nor would I have to see my children heartbroken and tormented. If you had only been here! If you had only done what you promised, none of this would have happened!” And then the wall went up, and I rolled a stone in front, and I declared this part of my life over, and I dared the world and God to try and get through.

Whatever is in your past, whatever you’ve buried and forgotten, God declares to you today that it’s not over. He still has a miracle He wants to do for you! He wants to glorify His name to the world through what He’s going to do for you! All may appear quiet on your side of the stone, but God is moving on the other side!

God still moves stones, and He still removes graveclothes, and He still sets people free. And very soon, when the time is fulfilled, He will declare over you, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 5 1

Oh, the bitter shame and sorrow, That a time could ever be When I let the Saviour’s pity Plead in vain, and proudly answered: “All of self and none of Thee!”

Yet He found me; I beheld Him Bleeding on the accursed tree, Heard Him pray: “Forgive them, Father”; And my wistful heart said faintly: “Some of self and some of Thee!”

Day by day His tender mercy, Healing, helping, full and free, Sweet and strong and, Ah! so patient, Brought me lower, while I whispered: “Less of self and more of Thee!”

Higher than the highest heaven, Deeper than the deepest sea, Lord, Thy love at last has conquered; Grant me now my spirit’s longing: “None of self and all of Thee!”

Theo Monod

5 2 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

When god questions us

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 5 3

Though teardrops fall like rain and I’m tossed like a ship on a rolling sea, Lord change not the storm in my life; Change me.

Unknown

Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet but determined voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”

Unknown

54 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Why

are you looking for me?

yo u n o t k n ow t h at my

F at h e r ’ s

I

Did

must be in

house? —Luke 2:49

There is mostly a void in the scriptures concerning the childhood of Jesus. But a little insight is given in Luke’s gospel when we find a distraught Mary and Joseph in a state of panic, looking for their missing son. They both breathe a sigh of relief when they see the One entrusted into their care sitting in the temple in Jerusalem.

Luke states, “After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Luke 2:46-47).

A relieved and somewhat angry Mary, heart pounding in her chest, runs up to Jesus and asks Him, “Why did you do this to us?

We have been so anxious looking for You.” I have found—perhaps you have too—that when we question God, His will, His motives, His purpose, He does not respond with an answer, but with a question of His own.

“Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 55

I can sense surprise and amazement in Jesus’ response. “Did you not know? After all you have seen and heard, you still did not know I would be in my Father’s house? You searched this city for three days and it never occurred to you I would be in the temple?”

Mary and Joseph had searched the caravan, they went to see family and friends, they searched the streets of Jerusalem and inquired of strangers for three days before by chance they came across Him in the temple. You see, Jesus is often absent from places we think He is supposed to be, and is often found in places where we expect Him not.

Jesus was no longer Mary’s little boy, for He being 12 years old had stepped over the threshold dividing childhood from adulthood. Jesus was Bar Mitzvah, or a “Son of the Law.” Mary’s and Joseph’s bedtime stories to a wide-eyed little boy telling of Samson and Moses, of Jericho and Solomon, would be replaced with more formal training from teachers and doctors of the Law. There comes a time when a mother has to let her son go, and let them find their place in the world. For Mary, who nursed Jesus, who bathed Him, who fixed a broken toy, who brushed away a tear and bandaged a skinned knee, that time would come much too early.

56 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b I

h av e s p o k e n t o y o u

o f e a rt h ly t h i n g s a n d yo u d o not believe; how then will you believe if i speak to you of h e av e n ly t h i n g s ? — J o h n 3 : 1 2

Nicodemus had an impressive resume. He was a Pharisee, one of the elite. He was a member of the Sanhedrin, a respected leader of the nation and a person of authority. He was a doctor of the Law, the teacher of Israel. He was one whom others turned to for answers. But now Nicodemus needs answers himself, for the words of Jesus have stirred something deep within his heart.

Everything he has ever known and learned has come under question.

So Nicodemus goes to visit Jesus, and John includes the stinging words in his gospel, “at night.” Creeping between buildings, staying within the shadows, his face partially covered hoping no one will recognize him, Nicodemus’ hunger for truth drives him toward an encounter with Christ.

With one simple phrase, Jesus turned Nicodemus’ world upside down. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). Nicodemus could not understand this, “How can these things be?” For Nicodemus, just being born a Jew was all it took. His heritage was enough to get him into Heaven.

But now Jesus was saying it was not. Nicodemus didn’t see the

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 5 7

spiritual connection or that Jesus meant a spiritual rebirth. “I was born a Jew, the chosen people of God. That’s all it takes. Can I enter my mother’s womb again?”

Nicodemus was a scholar, a student of the Scriptures, and Jesus referred to him as the teacher of Israel. He had much natural knowledge, yet, he amazingly had little understanding of spiritual things. Some things of God are just too difficult to understand with our natural minds and it takes the Spirit of God to reveal the deeper hidden things of God to us. Paul stated to the church at Corinth, “For the natural man is not able to take in the things of the Spirit of God: for they seem foolish to him, and he is not able to have knowledge of them, because such knowledge comes only through the Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Jesus knew Nicodemus needed a new way of thinking. But in order for that to happen, Jesus knew first he needed a knew way of living. “You must be born again.”

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b Do

you think

I

h av e c o m e t o

bring peace on earth?

—Luke 12:51

I love art, and I especially love paintings of Jesus and Biblical scenes. Paintings depicting Christ as the Good Shepherd, watching over a flock or tenderly holding a lamb are among my favorites. However, these paintings can tend to skew our view of Jesus and we come to think of Him as passive, tender, and gentle.

While these traits are certainly true of Him, we can easily forget about the angry Christ storming the gates of the temple alone, armed with but a whip, and driving out the moneychangers.

John’s vision of the Savior provides a different perspective, “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.” (Revelation 1:12-17; see also 19:11-16) Jesus said He did not come to bring peace on earth, but that His coming would cause division. Families and friends would be

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 5 9

divided because of Him, mothers against daughters and fathers against sons. Someone who is passive and gentle is not hated and beaten and crucified. But someone who’s words can strike your heart and turn your world upside-down will make a few converts of those who are receptive and many enemies of those whose hearts are hardened.

Jesus is who He is. He will not change who He is to accommodate our perceptions. No, He instead will change our way of thinking.

6 0 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Who

d o yo u s ay t h at

I

am?

— M at t h e w 1 6 : 1 5

This great question is one that must be answered by each one of us. It’s not just a question, it is also an invitation. It is a fork in the road. How you answer this question will affect the direction your life takes. What you say about Jesus affects your entire worldview.

It changes everything. It is an invitation to take personally and seriously the fact that we need to see Him differently. It is an invitation to venture beyond the iconic Christs of popular culture, religious history, and scholarship and allow ourselves to be confronted by Him, face to face.

When God chose to reveal himself, He did so through a human body. The voice that called forth Lazarus was a human one.

The hand that touched the leper was the calloused hand of a carpenter. The feet upon which the adulterous woman wept were coated in the dust of Galilee. And Jesus’ tears came from a heart more broken than yours or mine will ever be.

While Jesus was a great teacher, His seemingly outrageous claims and statements eliminate the option of considering Him only as a good teacher. He must be Lord, or just simply a lunatic. There is no middle ground with Christ. You can laugh at Him, ridicule Him, hate Him. But one thing you cannot do is ignore Him. This question, “Who do you say that I am?”, is not a question that Jesus will only ask you once, and then be done. If you are lost,

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 6 1

Jesus will repeatedly call out the question to you as He searches the thickets and brambles for you, His lost one, until you answer in unison with Peter, “You are the Christ, the son of God.” But if you are already in the sheepfold and you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, I can assure you there will come another time in your life when Christ will pose this question to you again. It will be another fork in the road. It will be a test of your faith.

You will recall that John the Baptist was the one sent by God to be a voice in the wilderness, the prophet who went before Jesus to prepare His way and announce the coming Kingdom. John pointed out that the One coming after him was the One Who would be preferred above himself. It was John who revealed to us that great mystery of God’s Purpose in seven simple words: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

John’s ministry reached its height when Jesus came down to the river Jordan to be baptized. There John saw the heavens opened, saw the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus like a dove, and heard a Voice saying, “This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” With evidence like this it is difficult to doubt; and so, with great authority and conviction, John said, “I saw, and bare record, that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34).

John knew his purpose had been fulfilled, and with great eagerness he handed the reins over to the One he had so faithfully proclaimed. He had prepared the way, and now the One he had been preparing everyone for had arrived.

Shortly thereafter, John was arrested and put into prison. His work was complete. His sun was setting. And just as He had said, Jesus was increasing and John was decreasing. But oh, what a decrease! The ministry was finished, the crowds were gone, and John was left alone in prison with only a few disciples who came to visit him.

6 2 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

There will come a time in your life when your faith will be tested up to the edge of the breaking point. Like John, you will be stripped of everything precious to you. Your ministry. Your work.

Your possessions. Your friends. Your family. Not that you will actually physically lose them. Perhaps you may. But there will be a time when things will just not be same, and what you held dear for so long will no longer matter. You will ponder the meaning of it all and everything, even your core beliefs and faith, will come under the magnifying glass.

Like John the Baptist, you will be sitting alone in your prison, stripped of everything but your thoughts. You will be reduced to nothing but Christ. And I can hear the voice of Jesus coming from the shadows, whispering over and over to you, “Who do you say that I am?”

I can hear the words of doubt in John’s response to Christ’s searing question, “Are you the One, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3) What about you? What will your response be?

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 6 3

How long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear!

Habakkuk 1:1

There’s no soul too lost for God to find.

There’s no hurt too deep that God can’t heal. There’s no trial too hard that God can’t conquer.

Unknown

Faith looks to God alone; laughs at impossibilites; dances in anticipation of tomorrow.

Unknown

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

LORD my God, I will praise you forever.

Psalm 30:11-12

Once you take up the cross, there is no place to go, but to the place of crucifixion.

Unknown

64 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Is

a candle brought to be put

under a bed, and not to be set o n a c a n d l e s t ic k ?

—Mark 4:21

Mary Magdalene loved Jesus very much. After all, one who is forgiven of much, will love very much (Luke 7:47). This same love brought Mary to the foot of the cross, and again to the tomb on the first day of the week. She found there a sight which chilled her.

A stone rolled away.

A tomb empty.

A corpse stolen.

At the tomb’s entrance, she wept for her Lord pitifully and pleaded with the Stranger, “They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.” But, at the sound of her name, “Mary,” she realized who was speaking to her. She turned toward Him and cried out, “Rabboni!”

This title of Rabboni, the only time used in the Scriptures, is a title of extreme respect, honor and reverence. Mary, at the tomb, had made the most grand discovery. Jesus had risen! He could have appeared to Pilate. He could have walked into the court of the High Priest. He could have first visited His disciples. He could

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 65

have rode into Jerusalem in a chariot of fire. No, He had to first appear to Mary, for she was grieving, and she loved Him much.

Pause, and take another look at Calvary. That’s God on the cross. Those are iron spikes in His hands and feet. And it’s you who put Jesus there. You cannot look upon the scene and walk away unstirred and dry-eyed. Your decision for Christ is not an intellectual exercise, but it is a heart-rending hour of turmoil—a clash of wills. You cannot just sleepily whisper a sinner’s prayer and descend from Calvary poised and cool, and expect your life to be just as it was before you walked up that hill. If you have, then you never really met Him. No one can have a personal encounter with the resurrected Christ without it changing their lives. If you have truly met the Master, you will never be the same. If the candle of your soul has been kindled by the Light, you cannot—will not—hide it under a bushel. Jesus’ mandate to you will be clear, and you will not be able to contain the flood in your heart as it spills over to others, “I have seen the Lord!”

66 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Do I

yo u u n d e r s ta n d w h at h av e d o n e t o y o u ?

—John 13:12

Jesus, knowing that this evening would be the last He would share with His disciples, chose to teach them another lesson. With towel in hand and a basin filled with water, He went around the room and washed the caked dust of Judea off their feet. Peter.

James. John. Judas. It was a filthy job, and the job of a servant. If the King of Heaven can kneel before a poor man and wash the dirt from his smelly feet, then our calling is clear. Be a servant.

“If I then, your Lord and Master,” Jesus stated, “have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”

The way of a servant is a way of sacrifice, and the way of pain. If someone strikes you, turn the other cheek. If someone asks you to walk with them a mile, walk with them two miles instead. If someone asks for your cloak, give it to them, and your coat too.

If someone gossips about you or persecutes you, bless them and pray for them.

Not easy is it?

To be great upon the earth means you have much authority and power, that you have servants, that you command respect, that you have the finest your wealth can obtain. But to be the

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 6 7

greatest in Heaven means you kneel before the lowest of men. Let it be said that the greatest battle you will ever face is the one of surrender.

And what of Peter? Peter boasted to Jesus, “You will not wash my feet!” But Jesus responded, “If I do not wash your feet, then you have no part with me.” You see, we often love to help others and enjoy the great feeling it gives. But we do not like it when we are the ones in need. We have our pride and we want to make it on our own.

But part of being a servant not only involves washing the feet of others, but in turn letting them wash our feet when we need it.

6 8 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b How

m a n y l o av e s

d o y o u h av e ?

—Mark 8:5

Before Jesus worked this wonderful miracle in feeding the massive crowd, He saw the opportunity to first teach us a lesson.

Notice that Jesus did not ask the disciples, “How many loaves do you need?” He turned their attention from what they lacked to what they had. Jesus doesn’t want us to focus on what our need is, for most of the time, we don’t even know ourselves what we need.

If He had asked the disciples this question instead, I can just hear their collective response, “Oh Lord, we need thousands of loaves and fish. It’s such a long journey to the nearest town, we could never collect it all and get it back here. We don’t even have the money to purchase that much, if they even have that much available to buy. Not to mention, we would need a few big carts and oxen to haul it all too. It’s not possible!”

When we focus on our need, how easy it is to get caught up in how difficult or impossible our situation is!

Instead, Jesus asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”

And He asks us that same question today, “What do you have for Me to work with?” Don’t worry about what you need. Just give Christ what you have, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, and He can multiply it into what you need, with some left over too.

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 6 9

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:18

Peace is not the absence of trouble.

It is the presence of Christ in the midst of troubles.

Unknown

I have a great need for God. I have a great God for my need.

Unknown

Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing.

Psalm 31:9-10

I believe in the Sun, even when it isn’t shining.

I believe in Love, even though I am alone.

I believe in God, even when He is silent.

Unknown

7 0 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Will

you also

g o away ?

—John 6:67

Many of today’s churches seem only interested in attracting large crowds, following the latest trends and promotions just to get people within their doors. A good-hearted individual boasting to me about his church said, “We have rock music in our services.

We have a coffee shop with donuts right outside the sanctuary.

You can come dressed as you are. We are very casual. We are like a church you’ve never seen before!”

I found that last statement especially interesting, for it seems that many new churches and older established congregations are all turning to that same formula. Sadly, never once did he boast about the presence of the Holy Spirit in their services and how Christ is lifted up, if at all. One thing that I have learned over the years is that Christ works with men, not methods.

Jesus, on the other hand, sought to thin out the crowd and remove those who weren’t interested in true discipleship. While He desires that all come to repentance, He also knows that the way is narrow and few there will be that will find it. It’s better to be hot or cold than lukewarm, our Savior warns.

When many of Jesus’s followers became offended and turned and walked away, He did not run after them and beg them to

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 7 1

reconsider. He did not offer any incentive for them to come back.

Jesus never apologized, and He had no Plan B. He simply turned to the twelve and asked, “Will you also go away?”

The Gospel of Jesus is simple, but it isn’t easy. It’s offensive and divisive, and weeds out the sheep from the goats. If you believe an easy gospel, then it isn’t the one Jesus preached. To Jesus’s inquiry Peter responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that You are that Christ, the Son of the living God.” When the trial gets too difficult, when the wait seems too long, when the way gets too narrow and lonely, when the words get too hard, will you also go away? What is your response?

7 2 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Why

Lord

do you call me d o n ’ t d o w h at

I

and

s ay ?

—Luke 6:46

One of the most common, and most dangerous, delusions in the Christian world is that you can accept Jesus as Savior, but you do not have to accept Him as Lord. You don’t have to give up your old lifestyle or habits. You have accepted His forgiveness and you are done. Jesus forever put this myth to rest when He challenged the crowd, “Why do you call me Lord, but don’t do what I say?”

We have to understand that Jesus is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.

There is a big difference between knowing who Jesus is, and actually having a relationship with Him. For many people, religion is just following a list of do’s and don’t’s, but they never really have a relationship with Christ.

I read a story recently of a woman who was married to an egotistical and harsh husband. Some days, before leaving for work, he would give her a list of things which he wanted done during the day. If she did not complete every task on the list, he would explode in anger at her and beat her. Even if she did complete everything, he would not be satisified with her work or would complain about how she did each task.

After enduring his beatings and tirades for many years, her husband passed away. She would later marry a Christian man

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 7 3

who loved and cherished her, not for what she done, but just for who she was. One day, she was looking through a box of old records and papers and came across one of the lists from her previous husband. As she read it, a sudden realization caused her to weep tears of joy. She was still doing the things on the list.

But she was doing them, not because someone was telling her to do them, not because she felt obligation or fear, but just simply because she loved her husband and wanted to please him.

This is what is unique about the age of grace. We don’t perform works to get into heaven, we do them because we are going to heaven. Not because we serve a taskmaster, but because we have a loving and merciful Father whom we desire to please. And we are not His slaves, but we are His sons.

“Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:7 KJV).

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

— M at t h e w 7 : 2 1 - 2 3

7 4 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Who

touched me?

—Luke 8:45

Only God knows how much she had suffered. For twelve long years, she lived in humility, an outcast of society. Labeled unclean by the priest, she could not touch nor be touched. Her eyes were always cast downward. She was ashamed, always selfconcious, and afraid. Afraid of a condescending glance, of a cold shoulder, and of the gavel brought down on her life in judgment.

She was an orphan of society, an outcast forced to scrape by for a living, and forsaken of God. Or so she thought, for Jesus was passing by today.

Jesus was on His way to Jairus house, a ruler of the synagogue, for his daughter was deathly ill. And as Jesus traveled, there was a large mass of people surrounding Him, crowding Him, crushing Him, and pressing against Him. They wanted to be touched by Him and healed of their diseases, or to have their needs met.

Suddenly, Jesus stops and wheels around, “Who touched me?”

The people around Jesus denied touching Him. Voices raise up from the throng, “It wasn’t me.” “Not me.” “Me neither.” The disciples even laughed, “Lord the people are all around and bumping into You and You ask who touched Me?” But it was a different kind of touch, a touch with a focused intent, a touch with a purpose. It was a touch of faith, for Jesus felt power go out from Him. You see, a lot of people touch Christ, many people

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 7 5

bump into Him every Sunday, but only few touch Him in a manner that prompts a response.

The sea of people parted to reveal the woman, kneeling and trembling, head bowed downward. Jesus looked upon her with compassion and immediately read the story of her life—the loneliness, the heartache, the pain, the shame and embarassment.

“Daughter, your faith has made you whole.” With that one kind word, “Daughter,” she was welcomed back into the family.

This Sunday, or any time Christians gather, churches and homes across the world are full of people pressing and crushing against Christ, placing their demands upon Him, asking that He touch them. But how many people will actually reach out in faith and touch Jesus themselves, and touch Him with faith that demands a response? All power in heaven and earth belongs to Him. When you reach out in faith, doubting nothing, He will single you out of the crowd, and He will respond to your slightest touch.

7 6 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Do

yo u b e l i e v e t h at

I

am

able to do this?

— M at t h e w 9 : 2 8

The Gospels are filled with stories of the miracles Jesus did. He healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out devils, calmed an angry sea, made the lame to walk again, walked upon the water, fed thousands with just a few loaves and fish, and so much more. But the Bible is silent on the miracles He did not do, on what could have been. But we do know there was much. Matthew tells us as Jesus was leaving Bethlehem, “He did not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief.” (13:58).

When the disciples could not cast out a demon, they came running to Christ panic-striken, “Why couldn’t we cast him out?”

Jesus simple response was, “Because of your unbelief.” But then Jesus goes on to give us a precious promise, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew 17:20).

Many Christians believe that the “mountain” Jesus mentions here is symbolic of what ever trial or test they are facing. The “mountain” may be financial troubles, cancer, marital problems, and the list could go on and on. But I believe the “mountain” Jesus refers to is found back at the beginning of His statement— unbelief. You cannot cast out your problem, you cannot get an answer, you cannot get direction, and all because of your

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 7 7

unbelief. Unbelief is the mountain standing in the way between you and victory.

But when you say to this mountain—your unbelief—be gone, then nothing shall be impossible unto you, and “whatsoever things you ask, you shall receive.” A little leaven corrupts the whole lump (Galatians 5:9), and the mountain of unbelief crumbles when the smallest amount of faith enters, even as small as a grain of mustard seed.

Are you limiting God through unbelief, doubt, or fear? Do you believe He is able? If so, you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain by placing your confidence in Him. You see, there is a mountain of difference between believing God can meet your need, and believing God will meet your need.

7 8 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Where

can we buy bread for

t h e s e p e o p l e t o e at ?

—John 6:5

All day long Jesus had given of Himself to the crowd, unloading the burdens from their weary souls. Now late in the evening, Jesus Himself is tired and bone-weary and would like to rest, but the crowd continues to press Him. Nonetheless, Jesus looks upon them with compassion for they are as sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus was about to do a miracle for the ages. But before He did, He saw the opportunity to teach His disciples and to test them once more. “Philip, where can we buy bread for these people to eat,” He asked.

Philip responded, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread isn’t enough for each of them to have a little.” Then Andrew joined the chorus of doubt, “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish. But what are these among so many people?”

Instead of focusing on Christ, they turned their attention upon their circumstances. Instead of believing in God, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalms 50:10), they saw only their lack.

Now the disciples could have held a telethon and raised money.

They could have asked for donations from the wealthy members of the synagogue. They could have begged the members of the

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 7 9

congregation to plant a seed of faith. They could have visited the vendors in the marketplace and asked for donations of bread.

But they had nothing, and this is what Jesus specializes in. When men have given up hope in themselves, then Jesus can step in and work wonders.

When you go to Jesus with nothing but faith and let Him do a miracle, He gets the glory, the people are filled, and you get to keep the leftovers.

8 0 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Why

do you break the

commandment of

God

b e c au s e o f

your traditions?

— M at t h e w 1 5 : 3

Tradition is a powerful and influential force. It is familiar and non-threatening, and there is a degree of safety or security in it.

Many people follow a certain religion or belong to a particular denomination simply because their parents or grandparents did, or it’s something that their family has always done over many generations.

Some churches have particular rituals or traditions they follow, and most members probably do not understand the origins or meanings of these traditions and whether they are scripturally correct or not. This is why prophets of the Old Testament, John the Baptist, and Jesus Christ caused such a stir, for they offered new ways of thinking, upset the established order, and fought against tradition.

It doesn’t matter how well intentioned, meaningful, or helpful the tradition may be. If it is not according to Christ and His Word, if it becomes something we think we must do to be saved, if it hinders us from knowing Him, then it is worthless insofar as God’s Kingdom is concerned and must be discarded. It is dead weight and an unnecessary burden to carry. Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden light, yet we insist on trying to carry more.

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 8 1

The apostle Paul, in his selfless love and concern over the church at Corinth, said, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if someone comes along and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or should you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you are all too willing to listen.” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4 italics mine) The Scribes and Pharisees of Israel were guilty of adding their own traditions to the Law and regarding them as having equal authority with God’s laws. The commandment to rest on the Sabbath had been so twisted by the religious leaders that even a man healed by Christ was chastised for taking up his bed on the Sabbath. Yet Jesus asked, “Which one of you, if your ox falls into a well on the Sabbath, will not pull it out?”

Jesus issued a stinging rebuke to them, “You hypocrites! How well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is empty, because they teach human rules as doctrines.”

(Matthew 15:7-9).

The religious traditions of men can be the greatest distraction from a simple, abiding relationship with Christ. Tradition dictates much of what is said and done in our churches and our lives. But that doesn’t mean our tradition is right. Given a choice between following tradition and following the Lord, many people choose tradition. Will you be the exception?

8 2 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

b Do

you love me more than these other things?

—John 21:15

If Jesus was all you had, would Jesus be enough for you? Many precious believers are in love with the things of the Lord, but they are not in love with the Lord Himself.

You are called to be with Jesus. That is your calling. That is the primary thing, the highest ministry. Going forth to preach or do anything else is of secondary importance. We should be with Jesus; after that, He might send us forth to preach. But before Jesus said, “Go into all the world” He said, “Be with Me.” (Mark 3:14).

The call of the Lord is not more important than the Lord of the call. The work of the Lord must not replace the Lord of the work.

No amount of ministering for the Lord will make up for a lack of ministering to the Lord. And knowing the Word of God does not necessarily mean that we know the God of the Word.

Everyone wants to go and do something for God, but few people are willing to stay and do “nothing” for Him. There are many Marthas who are burdened with the work of the Lord, who are busy and laboring for Christ, who are careful and troubled about many things. But there are few Marys who just sit at His feet and hear His Word. Jesus said to Martha that only one thing is needful, and that is what Mary has chosen - just to sit at His feet

W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t • 8 3

and listen. What she hears will not be taken away from her (Luke 10:42).

If you are dissatisfied and disappointed with your Christian walk today, it is only because of one thing: Jesus is not enough for you. Somewhere along the line, something else became more important than Jesus. Maybe you have become focused on the things about Jesus that are not actually Jesus Himself. There is only one solution. You do not need more of the Lord, because He has already given Himself completely to you already. You just need less of everything else. You need to love Him again “more than these things.”

The resurrected Jesus that day on the shore worked another miracle for Peter, causing him to fill his nets with fish nearly sinking his boat. It was also a reenactment. It was Jesus taking Peter back to how they first met. Let Jesus do that for you as well.

Remember. Remember what it was like to hear His Voice, to be so filled with passion and love for Him, that you wanted nothing more than to sit at His feet, and hear His Word. Remember when you were so infatuated with Him that you did not want to do anything else. Remember what it was like to just be with Jesus.

Go back to when Jesus first called you to be with Him. Go back to the time when all you had was Him. Go back to the time before you were building churches, speaking prophetic words, witnessing to the unsaved, pastoring the congregation, teaching the people, leading worship, or involved in ministry. Go back to the time when there was no work, no ministry, no vision, no special calling, except Jesus calling you to be with Him. Remember when you said, “He’s all I need!”

You may never know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.

—Corrie Ten Boom

8 4 • W h e n H e av e n i s S i l e n t

WHEN HEAVEN IS SILENT Finding Hope in Our Scars

J o h n

P o w e l l

Thomas, a disciple of Christ, doubted Jesus’ resurrection and proclaimed, “Except I shall see in his hands the prints of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:21).

To Thomas, who often doubted the Savior, only Jesus’ scars could prove to him what nothing else could.

The scars we all carry from life, whether they be upon our bodies, or upon our hearts, are also for a purpose. Only by our scars can others know that we truly understand their suffering and their trials. Only our scars prove to others around us what nothing else can, “See, I’ve been through what you’re going through. God’s grace was sufficient to see me through, and He will see you through too!”

When

heaven isSilent

John Powell Jesus Cares About You From God’s Heart to Your Heart http://www.telacareministry.com

Finding Hope in Our Scars