The Sound of Silence

Have you ever had a moment when you felt like God was silent?

A moment that, no matter how much you pray or what you pray, all you get is peace? And you’re not satisfied with that because you don’t want peace, you want an answer, a firm direction. You’re ready to take action, prepared to storm the castle and get on with it. And it appears like God is just nowhere to be found. Surely, I’m not the only one.

In Genesis 22, we read the story of God testing Abraham as He asks Abraham to sacrifice His son.

Genesis 22:1-18 (NIV)

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

The way the scriptures are written is very interesting. Because God doesn’t just identify Isaac as Abraham’s son, instead, it’s pointed out very clearly that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son. 

So God makes a point of twisting the knife in Abraham’s heart a little deeper. And it’s to convey the message that this sacrifice was costly to Abraham.

Isaac was what he loved most.

And when Isaac approaches Abraham, we see Isaac address him as father. You know that had to have hit Abraham hard.

On top of that, God doesn’t even give Abraham an exact destination. It’s just a general location, “the region of Moriah.” When Abraham arrives, God says He will identify the mountain where this is to take place (Genesis 22:2).

Yet we do not see Abraham argue with God; he gets on with it.

Genesis 22:3 (NIV)

“Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey….”

There was no delay in Abraham’s obedience, and in three days, Abraham had gathered enough wood for the sacrifice and traveled to an unknown destination.

How many times have we felt God asks us to sacrifice the thing we love most? How many times has God given us a direct, yet vague, instruction that requires us first to act long before God identifies something specific?

God gives Abraham an instruction in verse 2 and doesn’t speak to Abraham until right before he’s about to kill his son in verse 11.

There are three full days of pure torture for Abraham between the instruction and the final act of obedience.

Can you imagine the mental anguish he went through? Can you imagine picking up sticks knowing you were going to lay your son on them as a sacrifice?

For three days, you’re working and traveling, knowing these are your last moments with your only son. Can you imagine what was going through Abraham’s mind? Can you imagine the absolute shattering of his heart?

God was absolutely silent during this test, and Abraham was left with nothing but his faith and his thoughts.

We’ve all been there. That place where God requires deep faith from us, and yes, it is a test.

It’s a depth test; how deep is your faith? Is it authentic? Do you genuinely love God more than the things He’s asking you to let go of? Do you truly trust Him to lead you? Are you convinced that He has a purpose for you? Do you really believe He will support you? Can you find peace in not knowing your precise destination? Are you comfortable with not having the complete picture? Are you ready to let go of your need for control? Are you sincerely prepared to yield to His perfect will?

In the World Wide Study Bible, John Calvin writes, “…this tended also to make him persevere, so that he should not obey God by a merely impulse. For, as he does not turn back in his journey, nor resolve conflicting counsels; it hence appears, that his love to God was confirmed by such constancy, that it could not be affected by any change of circumstances.”

The sound of silence serves a purpose; it builds our confidence because it’s during this time that we have the chance to resolve within ourselves what we truly believe.

The testing isn’t for God to know if He can trust us; it’s for us to understand how much we can trust Him.

God has a plan, even if we don’t know what it is. And when your faith is that deep, it cannot be changed.

I love that Calvin points out that Abraham didn’t entertain others or bother to argue about the instruction from God. And if the initial instructions weren’t enough, Abraham had to wake up every day and follow them.

Every day, he walked out his faith; every day, he chose God.

Shallow faith is impulsive. Deep faith is patient.

Notice the scriptures do not specify the name of the mountain God selected; however, after it’s all said and done, it is known as “the place the Lord Will Provide.”

Sacrificing the thing he loved most, the promise of God, seemed contradictory. Yet, Abraham obeyed with urgency.

And this obedience, this deeply rooted faith in God, moves the heart of God so much that He swears an oath to Himself. God not only kept all His promises to Abraham, but He also gave Abraham a long and good life. There may be silence in the test, but after the test, there is provision and a blessing.

Perhaps God is testing your faith. Stay the course.

Perhaps God wants to show you how big He is. Stay the course.

Perhaps God is testing your commitment to Him. Stay the course.

Obey without hesitation. Yes, follow the Lord’s instructions. As He did with Abraham, He will identify what’s next when the time is right.

Resolve within yourself that you will see the assignment through; resolve that no one can talk you out of what God has told you to do.

Faith may please God, but deep faith will move His heart towards you. Deep faith comes from deep waters, and deep waters can be equally dangerous and rewarding.

The glorious treasures pirates have sold their souls for are not found in shallow waters. If so, anyone could obtain them. But valuable treasure is found in deep waters where only the brave dare to go.

The deeper the water, the more valuable the treasure.

Abraham would not be the legendary man of faith that we know him to be without going deeper. Abraham would not be the father of many nations without going deeper.

So if God is asking you to go deeper, then that means He has something greater for you, something more valuable than what you’ll find on the shores. And you’ll never know what it is unless you let go of your natural wisdom, your natural understanding, and fully immerse yourself in the supernatural plan of God. I assure you, without a doubt, God’s plan will not make sense at first. But in due time, you will see how all things work together for those who love God.

Romans 8:28 (NIV)

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Embrace the sound of silence. It means something greater is just up ahead.

Stay in faith.

Stay the course.

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