Silent, Not Absent

 

“Be still and know . . .” ―Psalm 46:10

 

My husband is away today. Fly-fishing on the river; always anticipating the next Big Catch.

As for me, I am enjoying some solitude as I slip off to my quiet place overlooking the lake. I am not lonely here, just alone. There is a difference.  A place of silence is exactly that . . . a place of silence. The quiet does not mean I will not hear my husband’s voice again. It’s simply how it is for now. I wait in anticipation of my husband’s return and the stories he will tell of the “big one” that got away.

I have been thinking a lot today about silence. What it is and what it isn’t. My sister lost her husband several years ago. She lives alone. For her, there is no expectation of hearing her husband’s voice. No expectation of his return. The reality of her aloneness has become loneliness. Her quiet is more than silence―it is absence, the place where no hope resides.

Today, nestled in my quiet place, I am hopeful I will hear the voice of my Lord. His words have been few lately. Or at least, I have heard few. Why? Not sure. But I am okay with it. You see, his silence does not mean his absence. It’s just how it is for now. I have been here before. And for the moment, simply being in his unseen presence is enough. He has promised he will never leave me nor forsake me. (Deut. 31:6) He has promised; he will return. I wait in anticipation of the familiar ring of his voice and the stories he will tell.

I am still, and I know.

He is silent, not absent.

I have hope.

You do too!