What's a little silence between friends? Silence can exist more comfortably between friends because there is less rush to try to fill it merely for the sake of filling it. When Lazarus was near death and Jesus was notified, the Master was in no hurry to arrive at the bedside of his dear friend. He was silent, you might say. But when he did arrive, look what happened. Something greater than healing, or perhaps there unfolded the ultimate healing: resurrection. After the prophet Malachi died there was no prophetic voice in Israel for over 400 years! There was a long silence, in that regard. But look how that silence was broken: by the voice of the greatest of all prophets crying in the wilderness, John the Baptist, the immediate forerunner of Jesus the Messiah. Sometimes God is silent toward us when we think God should be speaking, and sometimes God is speaking to us in a way we wish God wouldn't. But one measure of intimacy with someone is when we don't force our way hurriedly through the spaces of silence between us. We can allow the silences to sort of "speak " for themselves, and it actually enriches the communication between us and the words have more impact and meaning when they eventually do get spoken. If this be true in our horizontal relationships, may we allow it to be true in the vertical one with The Friend of friends when necessary. The more secure and sure we are in that relationship the more we can tolerate and even appreciate or enjoy the the silences in our horizontal relationships. After all, everything we are and do of any value flows from Relationship through relationships and back to Relationship.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! TRUST JESUS NOW
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