Tag Archives: C.S.Lewis

When God is Silent

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Surely there have been times in your life that you have asked the question of the ages:

Why is God silent?

Does He not hear me? My prayers are not being answered, maybe He doesn’t love me. Have I done something wrong?

  • I don’t feel Him.
  • I don’t hear Him.
  • I definitely don’t see Him.

I am surely all alone in this world!

when God is silent

Haven’t we all been there? Maybe we have even lived there for a time? It isn’t easy.

Can we say it can be just plain difficult?

I am not one of those that is fortunate enough to hear the Lord speak in an audible voice to me every morning and say, “Good morning Nannette, time to get up, Sweet Daughter of Mine! Here is what I have planned for you today…”

But He does speak to us, in a variety of ways, mostly through His Word and prayer. And the two of them together? Even better chance you will hear that still, small voice of the Lord.

But sometimes, there is silence; and He is teaching us to trust Him.

Do you remember Thomas? Poor Thomas is still getting picked on as The Doubter. He said he wouldn’t believe that Jesus was alive unless he could see the nail marks in his hands and put his hand in his side. But Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 NIV.

Compare it to a marriage relationship. If your spouse is away on a trip, are you panicked that they don’t love you anymore?

  • You can’t feel them next to you.
  • You can’t see them.
  • You can’t talk to them if they are busy or in meetings.
  • You can’t hear them.

Does that mean that just because there is silence that their love means nothing any longer? Of course not.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Would it not be wonderful to think that the Lord is preparing us in the silence, to teach us to long for Him?

Of course, we want to be sure that there is not something keeping us from hearing from the Lord.

  • If there is sin, repent.
  • If there is anger, get rid of it.
  • If there is someone you need to forgive, go do it.

Clean up the heart. Draw nigh to Him and He will draw nigh to you. His Word promises that.

Can we trust God even when we don’t hear from Him? When we don’t feel Him every day? He promised to never leave us or forsake us, when there is silence we lean on His promises!

Can we keep on loving Him, serving Him, telling others about Him, just because we love Him, and not because He owes us anything in return?

C.S. Lewis said, “Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.”

He never changes, He is always the same. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. And in an ever-changing world that is full to the brim of uncertainty, we can encourage one another by reminding ourselves of His faithfulness and remembering prayers that He has answered in the past.

You can trust Him, even in the silence.

Fasting together: The right way for us

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Fasting together: The right way for us. Moving right along! You can catch up here.

“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.” ~ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Ezra. Some thought he had nothing to say. He was one of those who did so much for his present world but yet his mind was clearly on the one to come!

The seventh chapter of the book bearing his name tells us right away what kind of man he was: “This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.” Ezra 7:6 KJV.

Ezra’s lineage was traced all the way back to Aaron, the brother of Moses. He was a teacher, a soper, translated as a scribe, a writer, recorder or secretary.  It also meant that he could obviously read and write; he was a learned man who could teach what he read in the Law of God.

He had favor with the pagan ruler, King Artaxerxes, and the king was willing to grant him whatever was requested of him.

So what was Ezra’s request? Jewels? Land? Power?

No.

Ezra didn’t choose any of these; he chose to take some of the people of God back to Jerusalem. “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” Ezra 7:10 KJV.

The King gave a letter to Ezra outlining how all of this was to take place. The trip was to take four months. They were to have certain privileges along the way. The king gave them plenty of gold and silver for their journey and they were to stop and get more in Babylon.

Check this out: They were carrying

    • 3.5. tons of silver,
    • 600 bushels of wheat
    • 600 gallons of wine
    • 100 baths of olive oil
    • An unlimited salt supply

This was not to be a poor caravan traveling through the desert; these people were going in style!

How did King Artaxerxes benefit from all of this generosity? He hoped to have peace with his neighbors “…for why should we risk bringing God’s anger against the realm of the king and his sons?” Ezra 7:23 NKJV.

Ezra asked God for His blessing on the journey. Ezra’s character and true spirit come out here in this prayer.

“Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.”  Ezra 8:21 NKJV.

Ezra wanted the people to humble themselves. The King James Version says to afflict, to repent, to show dependence on their God for the huge expedition they were about to embark upon. Ezra realized without God’s help they would be subject to thieves because they were carrying so much gold and other treasures.

But what he said next is amazing. “For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, ‘The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.’ So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.” Ezra 8:22, 23 NKJV.

He could have asked for a military escort because of all he was carrying but Ezra didn’t want to do that because he had already told the king that the hand of God was on them. Now he had to act on that faith and prove that this was the right way for them.

Everything Ezra taught, everything he said, and now everything he believed, was being put into action.

So he did what he needed to do. He humbled himself, and made the people do the same. They fasted and entreated God, or prayed and asked God for help! Ezra knew that this God that he had put his faith and confidence in, this God that he had trusted and read about, wrote about and taught about continually, would be faithful. He was not disappointed for the Bible says,

“…and He answered our prayer.”

  • What need do you have today?
  • Is there something you have been struggling to even ask God about?
  • Is it His protection you wish?
  • Do you need His wisdom for a particular situation?
  • What about mercy?
  • Are you struggling to give it where it is needed?

You don’t have to worry, fret and wring your hands in despair!

Trust as Ezra did, he lived for His God; he didn’t just talk about Him, he knew Him!

So when trouble came his way, or doubt tried to creep in, uncertainty or even thieves lurked nearby, he knew exactly what to do.

He humbled his soul with fasting, he prayed for God’s protection and then…

He stepped out in faith!

He arrived safely at his destination. He never lost any of the 25 tons of silver, silver articles weighing 3.75, tons, 3.75 tons of gold, 20 huge bowls of gold, all which would have been worth millions of dollars today. All of the people could now worship their God in their homeland. Once again, Jehovah had protected them from harm.

So walk in victory today. God is on your side! You can trust Him to be faithful when you live for Him the right way.

“And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy…” Ezra 8:31 NKJV.

I have written a devotional for The Daniel Fast, (or ANY FAST)!! It has 21 days of devotions for each day of the three week fast and three days of preparation devotions explaining fasting, why we fast and why The Daniel Fast. Check it out on Amazon!

Fasting together: Just keep doing good

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Fasting together: Just keep doing good. I know my title is not grammatically correct, so please don’t send me emails about that (smile). But it works for this post. Have you just finished your first week of fasting? Are you yet to get started? Fasting the 21 day Daniel Fast or just a meal or two here or there? However you decide to input a fast into your spiritual walk, do it unto the Lord. You can read our previous post here: Fasting in Preparation for a New Year, Rebuild and Restore, Daniel Fast Basics, Anoint your head, wash your face,  When Fasting Turns Ugly,   Is there POWER in fasting?   Just keep doing good Daniel Fast Snacks 

Evil is joining in agreement with someone else to slander another or cause harm to another. This breaks the heart of God. Evil is always sin but maybe sin is not necessarily always what we call evil. Evil is preconceived sin; planned sin, even conniving sin.

The Bible says we were “born into sin”, it is inherently in our nature. But through the cross we now have forgiveness of sins, an advocate in Jesus Christ the Righteous! We can go before Him when we sin (and we will) and receive His mercy.

Why didn’t God do away with our sinful nature when Jesus was nailed to the tree? Why, when we are buried with Him in baptism and our sins are washed away, do we continue to sin, even unwillingly or unknowingly? Jesus could have taken that sinful nature from us and made us perfect, obedient creatures, couldn’t He?

“God created things which had free will. If a thing is free to be good it’s also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.” C.S. Lewis, The Case for Christianity

We must serve Him and love Him with our FREE WILL. We love Him for what He has done for us and out of hearts of gratitude and thankfulness; not because we are forced to do so. That wouldn’t be love!

So we are in the world. An evil world. We cannot change it, for the most part, and must walk in it each and every day. So, what to do about it?

Prayer, coupled with fasting, strengthens us and gives us boldness and power in the Holy Ghost to withstand the evil that is in the world.

The prophet Nehemiah fasted when he heard that his beloved city of Jerusalem had been reduced to ruins by evil.

Nehemiah was heartbroken at the news he had received of his homeland.

He sat down.

He cried.

He mourned.

For days.

He fasted.

He prayed.

He asked for mercy when he went before the king. He also humbly asked for permission, for caution and wisdom. Then, with the kings permission,  he headed to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls!

While rebuilding the walls of his beloved Jerusalem, he wouldn’t stop for anything, even when they were being attacked by evil!  In Nehemiah 4:17, we see how Nehemiah continued doing good in the midst of a battle,  “…The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.” 

He just kept on doing good.

  • Have the walls of your life been broken down?
  • Does the enemy of your soul lie to you and torment you on every turn?
  • Are you filled with anxiety, fear and dread every day?

Weep, mourn, fast, pray, ask for caution and wisdom. Then what?

Start rebuilding the walls!

Put your faith and confidence in the One who delivers, heals, restores and brings peace to a troubled mind. Let Him give you the strength to put one stone upon another and rebuild the walls in your life.

“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21.

Evil will remain in the world until Satan is bound. But we do not have to let evil overcome us or become a part of us.

Jesus prayed for God to keep you from the Evil One. Today, through prayer and study of His Word, through relationship, Christ IN you, He has left you with the power to live an overcoming life!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NIV

God answers prayers of sacrifice, desperation and commitment. What are you praying for today? Fast and pray and let God speak to you through His Word!

Daniel Fast Recipe for today!

Veggies in a Flat Wrap

2 WHOLE GRAIN flatbread wraps

1 cup shredded carrot

1 cup shredded zucchini

¼ cup red onion, diced fine (optional)

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Sea salt and pepper to taste

4 Tablespoons hummus

Combine carrot, zucchini, onion, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl and toss well to make a slaw. Spread your hummus over the tortilla wraps. Place a handful of slaw on top of the hummus. Grind some fresh pepper over top and add a few pumpkin seeds or other favorite seeds. Roll up the wraps and serve!

The Daniel Fast, A Devotional, is a great tool for ANY fast that you choose as a sacrifice to the Lord. 21 days of devotions and recipes too. Available in eBook or paperback!