Tuesday, October 24, 2023

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1: 8-10

We who live in this 21st century world don’t have a monopoly on dry places. The veracity of that thought was reinforced when I took a religion class in college and heard about the 400 silent years – the period between the Old and New Testament when it is believed God didn’t talk to his people. Bible scholars say those four centuries begin with a warning (and a message about God’s love) in Malachi and end with John the Baptist who preceded the coming of the Messiah, our Christ. The warning was to the people of Israel who had returned from Babylonian captivity. Scholars say they were mistreating their wives, marrying pagans, not tithing, neglecting the temple, and not teaching the people the ways of God.

While there are other viewpoints regarding this period, for our purposes, we stand on the assumption that God was silent, and that the “silence,” as some believe, was connected to sin.

PRAYER: Father, I’m in a dry place. I confess that I am a sinner, and I fall short of your glory. I have missed the mark. Cleanse me, Lord. I need your power to strengthen me. On my own, I can do nothing. I want all of me to be a sweet smelling savor to your nostrils. Please don’t be silent. Speak to my heart. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen