Topic: WORSHIP GOD WHEN HE SEEMS SILENT<\/p>\n
Text: Psalms 10:1; 22:1 (NIV)<\/p>\n
10:1 \u201cWhy, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide in times of trouble?<\/p>\n
22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?\u201d<\/p>\n
INTRODUCTION:
\nThe most difficult experience in the life of a man is the period of loneliness and rejection, because it demoralizes the confident man.<\/p>\n
It is a period that incubates man\u2019s dream\/vision.<\/p>\n
Every great man and woman once passed through this period. Before Abraham became the father of faith, he endured this silent period. Even our Lord Jesus Christ experienced the silence of the God-Head on the cross.<\/p>\n
During this period, you may think you don\u2019t know what you are doing. Many will see you as an unserious person. Your ideas will have no meaning to people. Your efforts will be watered down and you will be neglected by your people.<\/p>\n
Some people call this period a \u2018Closed Heaven Period.\u2019 The time when the heavens are shut and you\u2019re not hearing from God.<\/p>\n
This period happened between the Old and the New Testaments when God stopped interacting with men for 400 years.<\/p>\n
David, while going through his silent period, cried out to God.<\/p>\n
Rick Warren stated that, \u201cIt\u2019s easy to worship God when things are going great in your life\u2014when he\u2019s provided food, friends, family, health, and happy situations. But circumstances are not always pleasant.\u201d (Rick Warren Daily Devotional, 01\/15\/22).<\/p>\n
So what would be your reaction when it seems God is silent about your situation?<\/p>\n
What you need to do when you are going through the silent period is the focus of discussion in this write-up. These are:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Acknowledge that God is alive.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Know that God does not mean evil for you.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Bow your heart to worshipping God.<\/p>\n
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THAT GOD IS ALIVE<\/p>\n
The picture the Devil brings to people\u2019s minds during the silent period is to let you feel your God is dead and not active to help you.<\/p>\n
The moment you succumb to this devilish thought, you\u2019re captured already.<\/p>\n
Job acknowledged that his redeemer is alive, even in his trying time (Job 19:25). This was a poem of worship to reverence his God as an able God who does not sleep nor slumber.<\/p>\n
You must come to this point in your life when it seems nothing is working for you and yet acknowledge that your God is alive as a very present help in times of trouble.<\/p>\n
As you acknowledge Him, offer him an aroma of worship songs.<\/p>\n
2. KNOW THAT GOD DOES NOT MEAN EVIL FOR YOU<\/p>\n
God is sovereign in acts to His people. His love for us is so enormous that He cannot let us down. Rick Warren further says; \u201cTo mature your friendship, God will test it with periods of seeming separation\u2014times when it seems as if He has abandoned or forgotten you.\u201d (Rick Warren 01\/15\/22).<\/p>\n
Sometimes God would want to check your level of spiritual maturity and how you can depend on Him.<\/p>\n
You need to know that God does not mean evil for you. According to Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), \u201cFor I know the plans I have for you,\u201d declares the Lord, \u201cplans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let this verse of the scripture resonate in your mind always, to keep your mind positive about your God, and be hopeful that everything will be alright with you.<\/p>\n
3. BOW YOUR HEART TO WORSHIPPING GOD<\/p>\n
During the silent period, the target area of man\u2019s life by the Devil is your heart. He will find every means to pollute your heart with the sting of bitterness, resentment, and unholy arrogance of character to people around you and even your God.<\/p>\n
Many find it difficult to paise or thank God for being alive; they see it as a natural phenomenon.<\/p>\n
Psalms 22:3-5 (NIV) reads thus:<\/p>\n
3. \u201cYet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.<\/p>\n
4. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.<\/p>\n
5. To you they cried out and were saved; in you, they trusted and were not put to shame.\u201d<\/p>\n
David lowered his heart to worship God.<\/p>\n
I encourage you also to ponder on what God has done for you and even what you heard or read.<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/p>\n
The silent period is inevitable in man\u2019s life, and that is why Jesus Christ also experienced it while on earth. He cried out, \u201cEli, Eli, lama sabacthani\u201d by asking God why He was forsaken.<\/p>\n
The joy of it is that He didn\u2019t lose the battle. He won! That is why you need to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s pray:<\/p>\n
Right now, choose any songs of worship to worship your God. As you faithfully do that, you shall experience a unique miracle in your life.<\/p>\n
John Aderogba for ROPMi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Topic: WORSHIP GOD WHEN HE SEEMS SILENT Text: Psalms 10:1; 22:1 (NIV) 10:1 \u201cWhy, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide in times of trouble? 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?\u201d INTRODUCTION: The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,7],"tags":[98,96,44,97],"class_list":["post-3294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter","category-ropmi","tag-98","tag-may","tag-newsletter","tag-ropmi"],"yoast_head":"\n