God's silence

So I just had to share this from the book "Everybody Always" by the amazing
"Bob Goff"
The man is sooooooo smart. OMG!

This made me feel really good because sometimes God seems silent and it makes me question His love for me.
I know I shouldn't but some days are better than others.

I don't want to be selfish, so here you go;

I’ve also come to see the purpose and beauty in God’s silence. It’s like He’s telling me He knows my heart’s desires and what I’m thinking. He knows what He’s taught me. He’s seen when I’ve succeeded and when I’ve failed. From His point of view, that all rolls up into an unspoken whisper from Him I can almost hear saying, “You’ve got this.” His biggest priority isn’t removing failure as an option but reminding me He loves me as I try. There’s a verse in the Bible that says, “Do not despise these small beginnings.” I love that. It’s a reminder to me God doesn’t just value the big endeavors that work and He isn’t afraid we’ll fail; instead, He delights in our attempts.

God knows we won’t do everything picture-perfect either. If we’re being honest, our mess-ups outnumber our successes, probably by a wide margin. More than once, I’ve been a little too close to the rocks and a little out of position. I’ve come in a little hot, gone a little long, or fallen a little short in the things I’ve attempted.

But God hasn’t been shouting instructions to me as I’ve made mistakes because He doesn’t need to. His silence isn’t indifference; it’s engagement. He isn’t quiet because He’s run out of things to say or is scared about the outcome. It’s because He already believes in me, just as much as He knows the outcome. He already believes in you too. He’s so confident we already know what to do next that He’s willing to be silent even when we ask for His voice. He doesn’t care as much as we do whether we perform perfectly or not. He just wants us to be His while we do it.

Most of us don’t need more instructions; we simply need someone who believes in us. If we’re fortunate, God will surround us with friends who know us so well they’ve stopped trying to control our conduct with endless instructions and instead trust that God is at work in our lives, even if He’s doing things we don’t yet understand.

It’s perfectly normal and okay to feel afraid and confused and stationary. It happens to all of us at one time or another. We shouldn’t be surprised when we don’t understand what a God who says He surpasses all understanding is doing. God doesn’t want us to get stuck scratching our heads or overanalyzing our circumstances. He doesn’t send in all the plays to get us out of our funk, and He doesn’t carpet-bomb us with instructions about what to do next. Instead, He continues to be with us.

He’s not entirely silent when He is either. He’s sent us books about Him and has included a lot of letters, and He’s sent us friends too. He’s given us successes and failures—plenty of both. He’s written things on our hearts like love and grace and patience and compassion so we can write those things on the hearts of our friends. We’re God’s calligraphy. He doesn’t do this so our words will look better, but because He sees the beauty in our lives.

When we dream up something where the outcome seems uncertain and we don’t hear God’s voice, what if God isn’t saying anything to us because He’s already said it? We may not have had experience with the circumstances we’re presently facing, but He’s allowed us to experience a lifetime of other things to prepare us for what is coming next.

He knows that without risk we can’t grow. God didn’t promise us a safe life. Instead, He said He would give us a dangerous, courageous, and purposeful one if we’ll take Him at His word and stay engaged. Sometimes God is confidently quiet. He doesn’t give us more explanations. He knows we don’t need more words of instruction. The moment we take even a tiny shuffle forward, what God is already thinking about us is this: I love you. You’ve got this. You know enough.

What big idea do you have that you’ve not pursued because you didn’t know if it would work? Who have you wanted to reach out to in love but were afraid you’d be rejected? Who has broken your heart? Who took advantage of you in a business deal? Who misunderstood you? Who do you need to forgive? Now’s your time. Don’t wait any longer. You know what to do. You’ve got this. You know enough.
Go land the plane.