Waiting on the World to Change/When God Goes Silent

Throughout the Old Testament we see great moves of God. Moments where the spirit of God would supernaturally descend upon a person or in a situation for the purposes of God's will being lived out in the lives of his creation… as God steered the course of human history toward the cross and the redemption of man.

I think of testimonies such as the story of:

· Samson – who carried the Gates of Gaza, miles and miles up Mount Hebron his back [1/2 ton to 4 tons], tore a lion apart with his own two hands and crumbled the Temple of Dagon at the end of his life as he crushed the enemies of God.

· I think of the story of Esther: and how God used that young woman to stand in the face her husband the King, the entire Persian Empire, to save her people from the hands of Haman the Agagite, a descendent of Agag, King of the Amalekites and longtime enemies of the people of God.

· I think of David who God began using at a young age to lead his people. How he slayed Goliath the philistine with a sling and a stone, how God created a warrior and later a King in David – the greatest King Israel ever knew and a keeper of God’s people.

1 Samuel 18:7 - And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”

·In fact, as the writer of Hebrews states in Heb 11:32-34 For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

The people of the Old Testament witnessed great, miraculous moves of God in the lives of his people. The saw Mighty men and women of God who stood in the midst of a people stricken with “Spiritual Amnesia” [our forgetfulness and lack of awareness about the Lord’s provision in our lives from Attitude of Gratitude] to proclaim the Word of the Lord and faithfulness and glory of their God.

How God saved them, protected them, redeemed them over and over again! God spoke to his people through the voice of the prophets, led his people by the issuing of his Spirit and provided for his people in ways that only he could…and then suddenly it stopped…

The people heard nothing from the Lord. There were longer prophets before the people. The miraculous, providential hand of the Lord was just gone.

Between the prophecy of Malachi and Advent of Jesus God did not speak to his people for 400 years.

John 1:19–29 (ESV) And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!