In my Old Testament History class, Professor Dyke has been leading us through the Exodus, showing us things that a casual, modern-day American reader would not pick up on. It's a wonderful class, the only one I do not dread going to. We have been talking about the Exodus, and it's all very fascinating, but what stands out to me is how God was silent for 400 years before suddenly showing up. Many of the Israelites had grown cold towards God, thinking, "He has abandoned us," and they lived lives of hopelessness. Yet, out of nowhere, in line with His timing, God shows up in a beautiful, horrifying, blunt way, directly intervening and forcing the Israelites and the Egyptians to know that Yahweh is God.

As I go through my life, there are periods where God is silent. There are periods when I do not hear His voice, when I do not feel His presence. There are periods where, in the quiet, my thoughts begin to question whether or not God is really there. I am not ashamed of this; it is the human nature. And God does not punish me--rather, He will reveal Himself in subtle yet very clear ways. He will tell me, "I am here. I am in control." Many people have the idea that God is always visibly active in our lives; they will point out to the great stories in the scriptures, the stories where God's miraculous acts and His saving hand and outstretched arm are clearly visible. Yet what they do not realize is that God is more often silent than He is vocal. In Genesis, God's direct hand is seen many times, but near the end of Genesis, it is not seen, yet we know He was in complete control. For 400 years the Israelites were enslaved to the Egyptians, and it seemed as if God had abandoned them. In truth, He was there with them, He was acting in history, though secretly.

See, usually God takes a deus absconditus role, working in secret, working behind the scenes, secretly bringing His plans together. This is how He has chosen to work. Yet there are times when God takes on a different role, a magnolia dei role: He blatantly, bluntly, and directly works in history, making Himself vividly known. A lot of Christians often struggle with faith when God does not make Himself constantly known. For instance, a Christian may lose heart if he or she experienced a revival where he or she felt the empowering Spirit of God, but has not experienced one in a long time. We need to accurately understand how God works in our world and in our lives--if we understand this, it is easier for us to trust Him.

In the Old Testament, periods of silence from God always precede periods of God's visible revelation and action. The Israelites experienced 400 years of slavery before God's magnificent acts recorded in the book of Exodus. There was 400 years of silence after the last prophet Malachi before a man by the name of John the Baptist came on the scene, proclaiming a Kingdom that was near at hand. (Hmm... 400 years between the Israelites' enslavement and their miraculous deliverance, 400 years after the last O.T. prophet and the coming of the Messiah... any connection?) As we go through periods of silence in our lives, we must not lose heart. We must "keep the faith," as the old adage goes, just as Moses' family did. God may now be working in secret, in silence, but the silence will arch into a wonderful crescendo of music.