Are you there?..... Hello?......

      I don't know how many of you are fans of texting, but I must admit I have turned into a huge fan of texting. Texting gives you the opportunity to talk to someone when we actually cannot audibly converse with them. It also allows to talk to many different people at the same time. Texting is a great invention. I know that when my father-in-law was alive it gave him the vehicle to talk since he was not able to speak audibly due to his cancer. We no longer had to use the one beep for no and two beeps for yes communication.
     However, have you ever sent someone a text and you didn't get the immediate response that you were looking for?  You wait but no reply. Do you do what I do and send another text that says, "hello?"? I also send the "are you there?" request. We never know why they are not responding. We just know that we need a reply and we were hoping that it was going to come soon. When they finally reply, we get the usual answers and explanations as to why they are just now getting back to us: my phone was dead and on charge, I left the phone laying in the other room and forgot about it, or I left the phone in the vehicle while I was in Walmart. All of which are legitimate reasons for them not replying to your text, but you don't really care about the reason. You simply want a reply to your question or thought.
     Have you felt this way with God? You keep talking to Him and asking Him questions, but you do not feel He is replying to your request. Have you ever looked up and said "God, are you there"? I know I have looked up and said in dismay "hello?". There are times that God does seem at a distance or seem that he is not listening to us. Who knows why he isn't answering at that moment. I know its not because he is on charge or He is busy in Walmart, but He is God and sometimes He chooses not to answer. He may be teaching me that I need to learn patience more than I need an immediate answer.
     I do not know why God reserves the right to not answer us sometimes right away, but I do know this one eternal truth. Silence from God does not mean that He is not at work in and through our lives. Let's remind ourselves of an event in the life of Jesus Christ, the very Son of God. When He was on the cross with His hands outstretched dying for our sins. He felt like His Father had deserted him. He cried out to God and said, "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". Had God left Him alone? Of course not, while God was silent, He was working on the salvation plan for the human race. God's silence does not mean He isn't at work. Just be patient, God may be working on an awesome plan that involves you that will impact the entire human race...or at least your community or family...

I am John Sowders and I am Second...!!!!!