These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you, but I will rebuke you and set them in order before your eyes. (Psalm 50:21)
It is an understatement to say that God is patient. More specifically, He is extremely patient with us when we are not behaving as we should, but that doesn’t mean He is okay with our misbehavior. Just because He is silent for a time doesn’t mean that He condones misconduct and sin; His silence simply amplifies His mercy and long suffering. And so, we should never mistake God’s silence and mercy for His approval. Eventually, He will speak to the issue.
I have long believed that God, being the loving Father that He is, gives us time and space to come to our senses and repent of our misdeeds. In other words, I believe that He prefers we turn from our errant ways without having to be forced to do so. Because He is compassionate and merciful, He gives us opportunity to acknowledge our sins and repent in private, thus avoiding the shame and humiliation that accompanies being exposed in public.
We shouldn’t delude ourselves into thinking that, as His people, His silence will long continue or that He isn’t aware of what we’re doing. As He points out in the verse above, He isn’t like us; He’s not in the dark about what’s going on in our life and, most importantly, He isn’t indifferent to the end result. Because He loves us, He will correct us; He will bring us face to face with who and what we are, and those things He desires we set right in our life. As it is written, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens” (Hebrews 12:6). But wisdom says, better to be chastened in private than to be rebuked in public, and so let us pray that He will reveal to us, today, those things that we need to overcome so that we will be better prepared to overcome whatever we might face tomorrow.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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