The Silence is Broken

Imagine how you’d feel if God stopped speaking to you. Absolute silence. Even as a dedicated follower. What if that silence lasted for a very long time? Would you start to think God had simply stopped working, that He was just idle?

This is how the Jewish nation may have felt. After the prophet Malachi closed the Old Testament with his prophecy, God’s direct, prophetic voice fell silent for approximately 400 years.

The next time a divine message would be given was to the priest Zechariah as he served in the Temple. Despite him and his wife, Elizabeth, being advanced in years and past the age of childbearing, God declared they would become the parents of John the Baptist, the promised announcer of the Messiah. John would prepare the people for the arrival of Jesus.

It’s easy to wonder: Was God just idly waiting until the moment was right to send Jesus to Earth? The answer is an emphatic “No.” God is never idle. He is always at work, ceaselessly bringing His ultimate purpose into fruition.

The prophetic silence was a consequence of Israel’s repeated sin, despite God’s endless cycles of forgiveness and restoration. The final Old Testament prophecy in Malachi promised that before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, He would send a new Elijah—a promise pointing directly to John the Baptist.

While the prophets were silent, God was actively orchestrating world events to set the stage for the Messiah’s perfect entrance.

God wasn’t idle; He was laying the intricate global and spiritual groundwork to send Jesus to Earth. He was preparing to do for His people what they could not do for themselves: become the way to salvation through His own sinless life. His perfect righteousness would be credited to us, making us right with God. And this salvation was not just for the Jews, but for all people.

The late theologian John Piper said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” This truth applies to the 400 years of silence and to your life today. God always brings His plans to fruition at the perfect time.

Galatians 4:4-5 is the evidence of this ultimate timing:

During those 400 years of apparent silence, God was tirelessly executing the plans necessary for Christ’s arrival, so that we—you and I—could be adopted into His family.

Perhaps you feel like God is silent in your own life right now. You may think He’s not doing anything about your current situation. But be absolutely assured: In your waiting, He is always working. When the “time comes to completion” and He is ready, He will speak and give you the next steps you need.

Do not stop praying, asking, reading Scripture, and listening for Him to speak. Hope in the silence. He is worthy of your unwavering trust.

Banner photo by Mohammad Alizade on Unsplash