There are times in my Christian life when God will be silent, but He will never be inactive. I must be careful to differentiate between the two. The psalmist says, “God is … a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1, KJV). That means that regardless of whether God is saying anything to me at a given moment, He is certainly doing a lot.
Daniel helps me to see that truth. He had prayed for his people’s return from captivity, but not a word came from God in reply to that prayer. Finally, after three weeks of waiting, the answer came. The answer? God had begun to answer Daniel’s prayer the moment he began to pray, but the reply was hindered by the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” (Daniel 10:13) and not until twenty-one days later was the hindrance removed and the answer delivered. The important thing is: God was working while Daniel was waiting.
Now I begin to see what another prophet, Ezekiel, saw when God showed him the vision of wheels within wheels (Ezekiel 1). The wheels of Israel had ground to a halt because of idolatry; but the wheels of God were working night and day for God’s people, the faithful remnant, who were interceding for their beloved land. That speaks very forcibly to me! I cannot look at the broken wheels of my life and say, “God has forgotten; God does not care!” I can only look on the inside and see God busily at work on my behalf.
If only I can believe that now, in the midst of my doubt and confusion, God has already planned and is now executing my rescue, then I can say, “He is my very present help in trouble.” And as with every deliverance, it is never too late in the light of His eternal plan. The permanence of God’s delivering ministry is assured by Paul: He “delivered us … [He] will deliver us … He will yet deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:10).
“So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands” (Psalm 78:72).
Daily with the King 