"God's Word!" - 2

 "A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;" (Ecclesiastes 3:7 KJV)

  "But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." (2 Timothy 3:14-17 NLT)

 Looking up these two words, "silence," and "speak," almost every reference in the scriptures that are given, have God being silent or speaking. The interesting thing about God's Word, even though it might be silent sometimes, as we read and study what He says, it surely will speak when the time is right! 

 Writing this passage from 2 Timothy, I recalled the times in my youth when I was being taught Bible verses, stories about certain characters, and the songs that inspired me to sing when I needed to draw close to God. Did they ever really work? Oddly enough, I believe that they did. I prayed to God in times of my depression and when I felt sad and all alone; somehow, I was always felt peace and comfort; enough to sing one of those songs I had heard, and I praised Him for showing up. 

 With that, I see both of these illustrations being blended together, "rend and sew," and "keep silence and speak," because this is what God does, over and over, throughout our lives, even before we have accepted Christ into our hearts. He doesn't ever give up!   

 There are some people that tell you that God doesn't hear your prayers when you are not His child, as if you only become a child of God when you accept Christ Jesus into your heart. I have come to believe that we were always His children, we just came home to Him when we accepted His Son into our hearts! You can take that for what it's worth, but that is what I am staying with...

 "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

 "God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ - everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan." (Ephesians 1:3-11 NLT)