When faithfulness breaks the silence and you know prayers matter

     I listen to the words of “Silent Night” and allow them to engulf me. They strike a chord in my heart because of their irony. I can't help but think back to God's children on that night. Was it silent? Maybe.

     It definitely seemed that God had been silent one night too long. They were waiting, just as they had been for the hundreds of years before...they had been waiting through thousands of silent nights. That is when Jesus, the Son of God, King of the Nations, finally broke in to their silence...He came on another silent night and that was when the silence was broken. The faithfulness of God came at the end of waiting and in the midst of silence.

     I think that God often works this way. He breaks in with crazy faithfulness in the middle of what seems like one more day of waiting and of silence. I think of Simeon who prayed for a savior even when God seemed silent. This Simeon- this man of faithfulness and prayer, he got to see God's faithfulness by holding the answer that he had been waiting for. He got to hold his promised Jesus in his arms.

     

     When I began writing this post, I was thinking about prayer. About how important it is for us to pray and keep always waiting on God to see His faithfulness. We just never know when it will come, but God does. He asks us to always keep on praying; to be like Simeon, like Elijah the prophet who prayed for rain and believed he would see it...who did see it.

     When I was in South Africa, I met a very sweet old man, seemingly at random (but with God, is anything ever random? I don't think so...). It was just another day of waiting to see what God would do, and praying that I'd be ready. I walked out of the house, and found him watering his lawn next-door. I don't often start conversations with people I don't know, but I began talking to him, asking how he was doing, etc. The conversation escalated quickly and he began sharing what was on his heart.

     I told him I was from California and he shared about how he and his wife had traveled to California once, and went to San Diego. His wife however had just recently passed away and he was very grieved over her death. He was feeling a bit better because his daughter was visiting from Europe where she had been going to school. I just spoke some words of comfort to this man, and then headed off for my walk. I prayed for the man a bit, and then forgot about the whole thing.

     Later in my day, the Lord put this man on my heart and I began to think about him and pray for him again. As soon as I began to pray, I remembered another time of prayer about three years before. At that moment I began to realize how crazy amazing God is!

     Rewind to three years before: I was sitting in a prayer meeting. We had given our day to pray and fast, and God's presence felt so near to us in that place. I was just spending some time alone in prayer when I had a vision of an old man watering his lawn and heard the words: Daughter at school in Europe, San Diego, wife passing away, comforter. I had no idea what any of that meant, but I began to pray for the man and the entire situation about his wife, their time in San Deigo, their daughter being at school, that He would be able to feel the comfort of God during the time of grief at the passing of his wife, and that if there was any way I could be a blessing to this man- that God would use me. After that time of prayer I walked away and forgot about it for three years...and then one day I met the man.

     My mind was totally blown at the faithfulness of God! I was floored at the way that He used me to bless a complete stranger who I did not know anything about except for what God revealed, and then I simply got to watch His faithfulness unfold. I got to bring comfort, and the words was totally fulfilled without me even realizing it was happening!

     At the time I began praying, I had no idea I would ever meet this man who God put on my heart. I got to pray into things which had not even taken place yet , but God knew they were coming. He knew exactly what the man needed! He opened my eyes to witness His love for a stranger and to watch Him minister in His faithful way.

     God works mysteriously and we never know when He will fulfill His promises, but we can know that He always will. Jesus came on just another silent night, and God fulfilled His promise. Simeon had eyes to see this long-awaited faithfulness, because he waited and God's Spirit rested on him.

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel and the Spirit of God rested on him. It had been revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought the child to Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” - Luke 2:25-32

     Those who wait patiently for the faithfulness of God, find Him. This season, let us live with our eyes wide open to see God's faithfulness. And let us not stop praying, because it is this simple act that opens our eyes to see Him, and prepares us to bear His love and hope to the world.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.” - Colossians 4:2