Joy Like a Child Even in the Silence

 

Still Brewing 

Philippians 1:6, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 12:2, Hebrews 10:14, Colossians 3:10, 2 Peter 3:18

☕ Justified in CHRIST and continually being sanctified - we are still brewing! ☕

Still Brewing: Coffee #4

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Happy Thursday, friends! I wanted to write on a takeaway my Dad and I had from our Mark study for my blog today, but also connect it with another Scripture thought. At first the connection was not obvious, but now putting the two passages together makes it even more impactful for me!

"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

- Mark 10:15 ESV

"For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us."

- Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8 ESV

From my Dad and I's Mark study on the first half of chapter 10, our takeaway was:

Run to CHRIST like a child; with joy, excitement, hope, and anticipation

Our visualization was a child on Christmas. There is so much joy and excitement there. Let us pray for our joy and love for CHRIST to stay as it was as young believers. (Hebrews 10:32-35, Jeremiah 2:2, Revelation 2:4-5) The hope and anticipation is like how we must be for longing and waiting for CHRIST's return. As well as the pure hope that we have in JESUS.

In Psalm 62, the words "alone" and "only" jump out to me. Only the LORD alone can bring us salvation, rest, refuge, hope, and allow us to not be shaken. Even in, and especially in, the silence of waiting. We won't be shaken in this silence for we rest on our True Rock JESUS CHRIST. 

What if we put these two thoughts together? What if we can have the child-like faith of joy, excitement, hope, anticipation, even in the silence? It is fully possible (and only possible through CHRIST's strength, not our own). The Psalm passage spells it out for us. 

We have this child-like faith because of who JESUS is. HE is our rock, our fortress, our salvation, our rest. Sitting with the overwhelming beauty of the Gospel brings so much joy and hope. And it is having JESUS as our foundation that we won't be shaken in the silence and waiting. 

Maybe right now you are in a silent season. You are waiting. And the waiting can be hard. And the silence makes you long for noise. You are unsure what is to come and when it will come.

But just like a child so excited they are unable to sleep on Christmas Eve, with no clock to tell the time and no clue what gifts they will open in the morning; the long awaited sun rises and their excitement, anticipation, and longing is made complete. During the long night, they kept getting more excited even though the dark hours lingered, not knowing when the new day would break. 

As followers of CHRIST, HE gives us the strength to be like this! LORD, help me love YOU so much that in the silence and waiting I will grow more and more joyful by the day because I have a GOD who has given me HIMSELF, and I have the eternal Hope. 

LORD, grant me the privilege to have joy like a child even in the silence. 

LORD willing, see you all for our next cup of coffee together! 

- Sabina