Silent Communication

Suggested Scripture:
Job 37

Key Verse:
God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. (Job 37:5, NIV)

Does God still speak to His people? The Bible tells us that He spoke audibly to many, including Moses, Elijah, and the crowd present at Jesus' baptism. These days, however, God is perceived as relatively silent. Many wonder why He doesn't communicate with us using an audible, unmistakably clear voice.

God moves not only in mysterious ways, but in silent ones. He spoke the world into being, but it is the silent aspect of His conversations with His creation that keep our earth ever changing and ever moving. Wordlessly, he tells the flowers when to bloom, the clouds when to rain, and the moon when to shine. He shouts His love to us in something that is quieter than the softest of whispers.

A co-workers once shared with me his idea that our efforts to create words to represent thoughts and feelings do a great disservice to their very essence. He said there is a distinct piece of our self that gets lost when we use words. As I thought about that, I wondered if maybe that is why God, for the most part, doesn't use audible words. Maybe we can understand Him--His heart, His being--by tuning in to the ways he speaks to us in silence.

Reflecting Pool:

Do you sometimes wish that God used an audible voice?

How has God spoken to you in silent ways?

Do you believe that God's power is communicated in soundless ways? (Read Romans 1:20 if you're unsure.)