In Job 29, we find Job sitting on an ash heap – broken and defeated. His comfortable life is a distant memory and he longs for what once was. In Job 29:2-3, he reflects: “How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness!”

 

Job had a deep relationship with God – so much so that he called himself a confidant of God. He experienced God’s presence as a light guiding his steps. But now, all he felt was silence. Haven’t we all been there? Those seasons where God seems distant, leaving us questioning, longing and wondering.

 

It is in these quiet seasons that our faith is tested. Will we still trust God when we don’t hear his voice? Will we continue to worship him for who he is, not just for what he gives?

 

Later, in Job 42, we see a shift in Job’s perspective. After his journey through suffering, he encounters God in a profound way and says, “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.” (Job 42:5)

 

In the silence, Job discovered God’s power, holiness and sovereignty in a way he never had before. And when he prayed for his friends, God restored his fortunes – blessing him with twice as much as he had before.

 

Seasons of silence bring clarity. They teach us to listen more closely, to notice others more deeply and to encounter God in a fresh way. As Psalm 46:10 reminds us: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

 

May you experience his presence today.

 

Prayer: Father God, thank you that you never leave me, even in seasons of silence. Help me to seek you in the stillness instead of turning away. Teach me to trust you, even when I don’t understand. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.