Day 11 - Enjoy the Silence

Jeremiah 23:16-24 ---

¹⁶ This is what the LORD Almighty says:
"Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
not from the mouth of the LORD.

¹⁷ They keep saying to those who despise me,
'The LORD says: You will have peace.'
And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts
they say, 'No harm will come to you.'

¹⁸ But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?

¹⁹ See, the storm of the LORD
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.

²⁰ The anger of the LORD will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.

²¹ I did not send these prophets,
yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
yet they have prophesied.

²² But if they had stood in my council,
they would have proclaimed my words to my people
and would have turned them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.

²³ "Am I only a God nearby,"
declares the LORD,
"and not a God far away?

²⁴ Can anyone hide in secret places
so that I cannot see him?"
declares the LORD.
"Do not I fill heaven and earth?"
declares the LORD.

Hey You!

Check out verses 23, for a few minutes let the thought of God being nearby sink in. How does that make you feel? Encouraged? Comforted? Re-assured? Is it hard to believe? Or does it feel like a word of warning? Journal what you're thinking. Now, switch gears... a God far away. How does that thought make you feel in compared to the last set? Now, the big question. Which of the two concepts represents best what you feel right now?

Saint Ignatius described the life of faith as two tides: Consolation, and Desolation. Consolation is basically God-near times, when we are consoled by His presence, when we feel washed up in Him. Then there also times when it feels like the tide has gone out - desolation.

So think about these two tides, think of God as an Ocean, immense in His presence, awesome in His depths, unfathomable in His mysteries. If it helps, even close your eyes to picture the waves going in and out.

Okay, here's the amazing part: Today, whether the tide is in or out, God is close at hand. Whether you feel the rush of waves under your feet, or the horizons of the beachfront seem to stretch out well from the shore, you are still on the shoreline of His presence. And what He desires, no matter where the tide is, is that you draw closer to Him. Journal.

I wrote: God, if you are far away it is my job to be faithful. You still hear, you still love me, and I adore you.

-Colton